Mid-Autumn Festival

This past week we celebrated our first Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong! Mid-Autumn festival, also known as the Chinese Moon Festival is traditionally celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunisolar month. Got that. I didn’t think so. Eighth lunisolar what?

So as i understand it, the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture. It has been taking place well before any of us were born (don’t think any of us were around for the Tang Dynasty) and is an occasion for outdoor reunions among friends and relatives to eat mooncakes and watch the moon. The round shape of the moon is a symbol of harmony and unity in Chinese culture – and the festival is meant today to bring harmony and unity among families.

We celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival where else – but under the moon! We went to Stanley beach and joined lots of other expats in a celebration of something we definitely didn’t understand. But since i’m never one to say no to a night time picnic on the beach we were definitely partaking.

Aria had a blast with her lantern and glow sticks. I think she’s practicing for the clubbing I’m sure she will do at some point in her teens. I’m not sure this is exactly how the Chinese celebrate and maybe next year we’ll tough it out with the Chinese people in Victoria Park to see the dragon dance. But until i’m ready to face 1 million Chinese people in one tiny park we’ll stick to picnics on the beach, glow sticks, and lanterns.