Mooncake and mid-autumn festival

Mooncake season and mid-autumn festival are here! As the season is around the corner have you ever wondered why this delicacy only appears during the mid-autumn festival and how did it come about?

Before that, let’s look at the significance of the mid-autumn festival…

The Chinese community worldwide celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival (zhōngqiūjié, 中秋節) on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, which corresponds with the Harvest Moon. This is why the Harvest Moon Festival is also, known as the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Chinese families and other cultures from the Sinosphere celebrate this day with a reunion supper, lanterns, and, most significantly, mooncakes. During this time, you can also see beautiful tanglungs hanging in front of Chinese homes.

So… how did mooncake come about?

Mooncakes are shaped like the full moon, which is believed to be the brightest and roundest at Mid-Autumn. The full moon represents the completion of the reunion of family and friends, as well as harmony and unity. This is why families should celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together by sharing a family supper and mooncakes.

Mooncake in history

The historical origin of mooncakes is associated with the Yuan Dynasty revolt. The previous dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, was made up of Han people, whereas the Yuan Dynasty was made up of Mongols, who were considered outsiders by the Chinese. Mooncakes were used in this story to pass secret messages amongst the rebels, disguised as gifts for the Mid-Autumn Festival, so that a revolt could be planned for that day, and that there was a plague spreading that could only be countered by eating these special mooncakes, which contained the message to kill the rulers on the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Mooncakes significance mythically

This legend tells of a love romance between Chang Er (cháng é), the Moon Goddess, and Hou Yi (hu y), the archer. According to one belief, the sky once had ten suns. Hou Yi saved the planet by shooting 9 of the 10 suns out of the sky and was repaid by the gods with the elixir of immortality. However, when Hou Yi’s disciple Feng Meng (féng méng) learned about it, he attempted to rob them while Hou Yi was not around. Chang Er drank the elixir and flew to the moon to protect it, leaving Hou Yi behind. He missed her so much that he offered fruit and mooncake offerings in her honor.

This is a gist of what the mooncake and mid-autumn festival signifies. We hope that you have a good time munching on those delicious mooncakes.