The Mid-Autumn Festival is Here!

Enhance your Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations

At Sing Kee we are abuzz with excitement as the second most important festival in China is nearly upon us.

The Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as the Mooncake Festival, Chinese Moon Festival or Autumn Festival) is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Not familiar with your lunar calendar? This year the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 21st of September.

To make your Mid-Autumn extra special this year, join Sing Kee in celebrating this special event.

What is the Mid-Autumn Festival and why is it celebrated?

The Chinese Moon Festival dates back over 3,000 years. Its origin lies in the custom of moon worship when ancient emperors thanked the moon for the harvest. Although the Moon Festival’s traditional meaning is still to worship the moon and celebrate the harvest, nowadays people celebrate it as a reunion time for family.

There are also several legends and stories linked to the Mooncake Festival, such as Hou Yi Shooting the Suns, Chang’e Flying to the Moon, and Wu Gang Chops the Tree.

How is the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated?

There are several traditional and more modern ways of celebrating the Chinese Moon Festival.

1. Family gatherings and reunions

The Mooncake Festival marks a 3-day public holiday in China which is the perfect time for families to get together.

Families reunite to have dinner together to celebrate the Mooncake Festival as the roundness of the moon represents the reunion of the family.

2. Mooncakes

There is a reason the Autumn Festival is also known as the Mooncake Festival – eating mooncakes is a must when celebrating this festival. Mooncakes are sweet and traditionally round, although these days you can find them in various shapes and sizes.
Mooncakes are usually consumed by cutting the mooncake into pieces and then sharing it with family. The roundness of their shape symbolises reunion and happiness.

Other popular foods during the Mid-Autumn Festival are grapes, pomelos, pears, duck, pumpkins, and hairy crabs. Osmanthus wine (made of baijiu and Osmanthus flowers) is a common alcoholic drink consumed during the festivities.

3. Lighting paper lanterns

The making and lighting of lanterns are also part of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. Making colourful lanterns is most favoured by children.
Some tend to write good wishes on the lanterns and then light them to hang in trees, fly up to the sky or float them along a river.

4. Giving of gifts

Giving gifts has become more popular in modern days.

Young people are known to send electronic red envelopes to their friends and family. Mooncakes are still the most popular gift for any age but tea, fruit baskets, rice, and hairy crabs are also common choices among gifts, particularly among older family members.

5. Admiring the full moon

As a symbol of family reunions, appreciating the moon is an integral part of the Chinese Moon Festival.

Families tend to sit outside admiring the full moon, telling stories of the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival while eating mooncakes.

6. New ways of celebrating the Mooncake Festival

Although traditional ways of celebrating are still most popular, modern times have brought in new ways of marking this special occasion.

Many take advantage of the public holiday and go travelling with family or friends.

Online shopping and hunting for sales are trending among young people as shopping centres go all-out with discounts and promotions.
Watching movies has also become a backup option to celebrate the festival when people are unable to visit family or find other ways of celebrating.
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Sing Kee wishes everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival wherever and however you are celebrating!

And don’t forget to take the hassle out of your preparations by shopping for Mid-Autumn Festival gifts, foods, and mooncakes at Sing Kee’s online supermarket!