In West Texas we’re beginning to feel a slight drop in temperature as one of the markers for the autumn season heading our way. Many are beginning to look forward to the holidays and all the goodness that accompanies this special season and the refresh it brings. But Texans and Americans aren’t the only ones currently in preparation for upcoming holidays.
The Mid-Autumn Festival or the Moon Festival is a thanksgiving holiday for many people in the country of China. The Moon Festival is celebrated by families in China as a time to give thanks for a good year and to come together with their loved ones. It’s one of the most important holidays of the year in Chinese culture.
It’s celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month which means that it does not always fall on the same date in the solar calendar but is always between mid-September and mid-October. In 2020, the festival will be celebrated on October 1st.
The holiday began, much like American Thanksgiving, as a harvest festival. It marked the time when farmers had finished gathering their crops and would come together with their families to celebrate a successful year.
Still today, even if they live far away from one another, families come together on this holiday. They have picnics outside under the moon and lantern-light, and enjoy special foods.
Most traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival center around the symbol of the moon. On the night of the festival the moon is bright and full in the sky. The Moon is reflected and depicted in every aspect of the festivities. From the bright, round and spherical lanterns hanging near buildings and on tree limbs to the round and golden “mooncake” treats, participants are reminded of the legendary origins of the tradition. To the Chinese, the roundness of the moon symbolizes harmony and its fullness symbolizes wholeness, so families come together to celebrate those two virtues.
Like many western holidays, the festival is steeped in folk-lore and ancient tradition. One important folktale in Chinese culture tells the story explaining the shape of the rabbit that many people see on the moon’s surface. For this reason, the moon is also an important symbol for this holiday as the rabbit in this story exemplified great determination, hard work, and selflessness.
Moon-shaped fruits like pomelos, grapes, and Asian pears are enjoyed as well as round cups of tea. The peel of the pomelo can also double as a party hat for little ones and pets!
Kids are allowed to stay up late and parade with lanterns in the moonlight. Adults sometimes read or recite moon-inspired poems, and everyone in the family sends a secret, unspoken wish up to the moon.
This is a lantern in the OJAC collection which depicts the festivities of the Mid-Autumn Moon festival. It’s not the type of lantern that can be hung on a tree branch outdoors but rather one that sits safely on a table and glows when a candle is placed inside. It’s made of fine porcelain, sometimes known as fine “china” for its origin and the country’s early proficiency in the material. Can you see the ornate and delicate hand-painted details? The figures carry instruments and lanterns as they walk joyfully in Mid-Autumn parade.
Lantern with Pedestal Stand, “One Hundred Boys” motif, Early 19th Century
Chinese, Qing Dynasty
Porcelain with overglaze enamels
1993.067.01
As we approach the date of this special holiday, we will miss celebrating in person with a family festival this year. We do, however, look forward to celebrating with students, teachers, and families through our virtual outreach programs and are already preparing supplies and crafts to send out far and wide as we share our enthusiasm for the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival and all it represents!
Molly Gore Merck, Education Coordinator