All About Chinese Mooncakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival

Also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival or the Mooncake Festival, the Chinese Moon Festival is a favorite holiday for ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese people around the world. This celebration is cherished and observed with joy.

Perhaps second only to the Lunar New Year in popularity, participants observing the Chinese Moon Festival share fun, often-overpriced cakes (mooncakes) with people they appreciate. Some mooncakes are delicious, while others can be as dense as hockey pucks and filled with exotic ingredients.

The Chinese Moon Festival serves as a joyous time for family, friends, and couples to reunite under a full moon during the harvest season (September or October). All individuals take a moment to appreciate the beautiful full moon on what is hopefully the clearest night of the year. The round shape and completeness of the full moon symbolize the reunion of family and friends.

What to Expect During the Chinese Moon Festival

The Chinese Moon Festival is a time to take a much-needed break from work; many people have a day or two off and celebrate through the weekend. Family and friends gather to express gratitude and pay homage to the full moon, sometimes through poetry.

Mooncakes are gifted, swapped, and shared. Much like how holidays are commercialized in the West, mooncakes go on sale weeks in advance of the festival. Each year, they become more elaborate, pushing the limits regarding ingredients, presentation, and cost. Many businesses often give cases of mooncakes to demonstrate appreciation to clients and employees.

Despite the commercialization, the festival offers a good excuse for couples to relish romantic moments sitting under the full harvest moon. Many individuals opt to celebrate quietly at home among family.

Travelers can enjoy the festivities in parks and public spaces, but it is important to remember that many shops and businesses may be closed in observance of the public holiday. Transportation during this time can also be busy.

Public parks are illuminated with special displays and lanterns; there may be stages featuring cultural shows and parades. Dragon and lion dances—there is a difference!—are popular during the festival. Incense is burned in temples to honor ancestors and the moon goddess, Chang’e. Bright lanterns are hung high from poles while candle-powered lanterns float into the night sky.

Additionally, hairy crab is a delicacy available around the festival time, and the Jade Rabbit, a creature from folklore dwelling on the moon, serves as a popular symbol during this celebration.

To honor tradition, some individuals still make offerings to the moon, although this practice is becoming less common.

The Mid-Autumn Festival Public Holiday

The Chinese Moon Festival is recognized as a public holiday throughout all regions in China, including Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Expect all banks and some businesses to be closed for at least one day, and public transportation will be busier than usual.

This day is also a public holiday in Sri Lanka, as are all full-moon days.

About Chinese Mooncakes

Why all the hype? Chinese mooncakes are round, baked, palm-sized cakes that are enjoyed and gifted during the Chinese Moon Festival—or any time a rich delicacy is desired. These delectable treats are popular gifts, often presented in decorative boxes to clients, family members, and esteemed individuals.

Mooncakes are made with egg yolks and feature a variety of fillings; the most common include bean paste, lotus seeds, fruits, and sometimes even meat. Primarily, the cakes maintain a round shape to symbolize the full moon, although some are square, and many are beautifully decorated. The writing or patterns atop these cakes often convey good fortunes.

While many mooncakes are sweet, not all are; some possess a savory profile. Artisans constantly innovate, introducing surprising fillings each year, including sambal, durian, salted duck eggs, and gold flakes, enhancing both intrigue and price.

Despite their small size, Chinese mooncakes are often prepared using lard or shortening, making them quite “heavy.” Unless indulging is your goal, consuming more than one in a sitting isn’t recommended. Many choose to cut mooncakes into wedges or quarters to share with friends during tea time.

Considering the intricate craftsmanship required to make artisanal mooncakes, some can be surprisingly pricey! Uncommon fillings in the past include intriguing options like chicken floss, foie gras, ice cream, coffee, and others.

One expensive mooncake variant contains shark fin—an unsustainable option. Approximately 11,000 sharks die per hour (about three per second), primarily due to finning practices driven by demand in Asia. The environmental impact of this practice is certainly not worth the mythic health benefits claimed—shark fin contains dangerously high levels of mercury!

Interestingly, some mooncakes maintain a legacy similar to fruitcakes in the U.S. during Christmas: they are exchanged and appreciated but largely remain uneaten.

Exchanging Mooncakes

Finding mooncakes on sale weeks before the festival begins won’t be an issue. These treats will be available in every shop and restaurant. Even hotels showcase their in-house creations. Fast food and ice cream chains also participate during the festival.

If you intend to gift mooncakes that are wrapped or boxed, keep in mind that gift-giving etiquette differs in Asia from that in the West. Do not expect the recipient to open a gift immediately in front of you.

Moon Festival Legends

Known as the Zhongqiu Jie (Middle Autumn Festival) in Mandarin, the Chinese Moon Festival dates back over 3,000 years. With such ancient practices, numerous legends have developed over time, making it challenging to identify original traditions. Most stories center around the idea that the goddess Chang’e resides on the moon; however, the accounts of how she arrived there vary widely.

One story suggests that the moon goddess was the wife of a legendary archer ordered to shoot down all but one of the suns in the sky—hence the existence of only one sun. After achieving this feat, he received a pill of immortality as a reward, which his wife ultimately consumed, allowing her to ascend to the moon where she now resides.

Additionally, another Chinese Moon Festival legend claims that messages concealed within mooncakes were used to coordinate the exact date for a coup against the ruling Mongols during the Yuan Dynasty, which was successfully executed on the night of the Moon Festival. Although this legend seems more plausible than that of a goddess living on the moon, historical evidence supporting this narrative remains scarce.

Where to See the Chinese Moon Festival

Great news: You do not have to be in China to experience the Chinese Moon Festival! Celebrations take place in Chinatowns around the world. Major festivities occur in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. However, the festival is especially popular in Southeast Asia regions with significant ethnic Chinese communities, including Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia.

When Is the Chinese Moon Festival?

The Chinese Moon / Mid-Autumn Festival commences on the 15th day of the eighth month as determined by the Chinese lunisolar calendar. The festival typically falls in September, although it can occasionally shift to early October.

The dates for the Chinese Moon Festival vary annually, but it is always celebrated in the fall.