Moonlit Celebrations: Embracing Tradition During the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, is an important holiday cherished in Chinese and broader Asian cultures. Known as the Moon Festival, it symbolizes family reunions and gratitude. The festival has ancient roots, where people would offer sacrifices to the moon to celebrate the harvest.

On this special day, families come together to admire the full moon, share stories, and enjoy delicious mooncakes. Mooncakes, often filled with lotus seed paste or red bean, symbolize unity and completeness. In the evening, colorful lanterns light up the streets, adding to the festive atmosphere.

As you stroll along this tiny island during the Mid-Autumn Festival, you’ll hear the pleasant sound of dice rolling, accompanied by cheers of victory and groans of defeat—this is a traditional game called Mooncake Gambling. This entertaining gambling game features six ranks of awards, named after the winners of ancient imperial examinations, with prizes consisting of 63 different sizes of mooncakes. From lowest to highest, the titles are Xiucai (the county-level exam pass), Juren (provincial level), and Jinshi (the highest imperial exam). Tanhua, Bangyan, and Zhuangyuan represent the top three winners in front of the emperor. This month-long grand festival attracts thousands of participants from Fujian, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, and even various Southeast Asian countries, becoming a vibrant celebration of culture and tradition that showcases rich folk customs.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is not just a celebration of the moon’s beauty, it emphasizes the importance of unity and gratitude for the harvest. It is a special time for reflection and celebration, allowing us to cherish our connections with family, friends, and traditions.