Mid-Autumn Festival is a holiday born as a day for workers to rest, relax, and enjoy their achievements after hard days in the fields and gardens. It is also an opportunity for family members to gather and reunite.
The full moon day of August, also known by the affectionate name “Mid-Autumn Festival” is the brightest and fullest moon day of the year. According to Vietnamese people’s thoughts, life and the moon always have a certain relationship. Full moon and waning moon relate to joy and sadness, reunion and separation. For that reason, the full moon day is considered a day of reunion, a day of reunion and for family.
Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam is often defined with Children’s Festival or Reunion Festival because of the important meanings that the Mid-Autumn Festival brings. According to Vietnamese custom, during this festival, families often prepare a tray of all kinds of cakes and fruits to offer to their ancestors. After that, all family members gather together to celebrate the moon. This is also the day to show respect to their grandparents and parents with gifts. Besides, children receive gifts, take part in parade activities with lanterns, feast, watch lion dances, and observe the full moon.
It won’t be a complete Mid-Autumn Festival if you forget these gifts:
Mooncakes
Vietnamese mooncakes are often classified into two primary types: gold-baked moon cake and soft sticky rice-covered moon cake. Though they come in a wide variety of shapes, the most popular are squares and circles. The circle, in particular, represents both the August full moon and the pursuit of perfection and happiness. The square stands for unity, coherence, and the desire to get back together with family.
Mid-Autumn festival tray
It would not be complete without a Mid-Autumn Festival tray, the tray bring many important meanings for family. First, it shows respect and gratitude to ancestors. Second, the Mid-Autumn Festival meal also represents a cozy area where family members can get together to celebrate and and share daily stories under the full moon. The five-fruit tray’s final significance is that every family wishes for their loved ones’ wealth, luck, and fortune.
Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns
Traditional Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns are made mainly from bamboo and cellophane with many different decorative patterns such as: rabbit lanterns symbolizing the moon or carp lanterns wishing for favorable weather and terrain.
Traditional autumnal foods
Seasonal ingredients are a long-standing cultural feature preserved by people everywhere. Especially in the fall, this is a great time for us to immerse ourselves in the changing seasons and enjoy typical autumn dishes.
Young rice
Known as the “Essence of Heaven and Earth,” Vong village green rice is a well-known brand and an integral part of the history and culture of the Hanoian. Vong village’s green rice is rich in scent, and pure like the like the “precious pearls” that writer Thach Lam once wrote about. Those tiny, spotless grains of rice are delicately wrapped in aromatic, vibrant lotus leaves.
Dong Du guava
Anyone passing by must take a deep breath to catch the aroma emanating from the fragrant from Dong Du guava carts on the streets of Hanoi. Guavas from Dong Du have a significantly greater flavor than guavas from other places because they are grown in fertile alluvial soil along the Red River. The Dong Du guava is little, easily fitting in the hand, but it is ripe, crisp, and sweet.
Ripe dracontomelon
If in the hot summer, there is a glass of cool, sour dracontomelon drink, then in the fall, Hanoi pampers travelers with ripe golden dracontomelon. The golden dracontomelon fruits seem to have gathered all the sunlight from early summer into their skin. It no longer has the sour taste of young dracontomelon, but instead has a sweet, slightly sour taste that is very pleasant.
Perhaps, in the memory of us, the Mid-Autumn Festival is always a memorable part. The feeling of enjoying good food in exactly their time and being gathered around the full moon tray in August is always exciting. This moon season, let’s visit Gia, enjoy the seasonal menu, and together we will feel a sky of memories.
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