How Australia's Chinese Diaspora Celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival

For Australia's population of nearly 1.5 million people of Chinese descent, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important cultural celebration after Lunar New Year. The Chinese moon festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunisolar calendar, during autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also known as the Moon Festival, the Harvest Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival, because of the moon-shaped cakes that are traditionally given as gifts during the festival period, and is an important part of Chinese culture.

Mooncake throughout the ages

The celebration became popular around 1300 years ago in the time of the Tang Dynasty of ancient China. It was a time for offering thanks to the moon goddess, Chang'e, for a bountiful harvest and praying for good luck in the future. The festival has since evolved to include a variety of customs and rituals, including moon-gazing, lighting lanterns, and eating mooncakes.

It coincides with the end of harvest celebration in the middle of autumn and is traditionally believed to be the day when the full moon shines brightest. It is shrouded in history, traditions and symbolism. It represents an important way for contemporary Chinese people to celebrate and preserve their culture, heritage and community.

Today

These days, perhaps the most commonly known aspect of the celebration is the gifting of moon cakes. These ornate pastries can be filled with red bean or lotus seed paste, or yolks from salted duck eggs. Contemporary pastry chefs are known to get creative with the flavours, experimenting with concoctions such as sweet potato and ginger soup, cream corn soup, black sesame glutinous rice ball and even Beef Wellington.

For the Chinese people, the Mid-Autumn Festival holds great cultural and personal significance. It is a time for families to come together, exchange gifts, and reminisce about the past. The festival is also a time for individuals to reflect on their personal growth and to make wishes for a better future. The full moon, which is seen as a symbol of unity and wholeness, is also an important part of the festival. For many Chinese people, the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important holidays of the year.

How the moon cake festival is celebrated around the world

The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated throughout China and in many other countries with significant Chinese populations, such as Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. It is usually marked as a public holiday as it is one of the major traditional Chinese festivals. In each country, the festival is celebrated in its own unique way, but the themes of reunion, gratitude, and celebration remain the same.

In many cities, the festival is marked by large-scale lantern festivals, where lanterns of various shapes and sizes are lit and displayed in public spaces. In other places, dragon and lion dances, opera performances, and other cultural activities are held to mark the occasion.

Across China and east Asia, there is huge commercial activity surrounding the celebration and it is spreading with the diaspora. A plethora of luxurious mooncakes are marketed to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore's trendy elite, elaborate lanterns are sold on the streets of Hong Kong and deluxe Moon Cake gift boxes are even available in Australia.

Colourful lanterns are also an important part of Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations and can be seen hung on trees or buildings in many cities and towns where the festival is celebrated. Hong Kong's Lee Tung Avenue (LTA) is lined with nearly 1,000 lanterns for the crowds to enjoy and people can even try making their own lanterns for the lantern festival. Traditionally the lanterns symbolise family reunion, as they illuminate the way home.