During the Mid-Autumn Festival, sometimes called the Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival, people reunite with families to worship the moon and spend time with each other. The holiday is on August 15th of the lunar calendar, which means it’s celebrated on September 10 this year.
Due to various factors such as work, school, and location, many people find themselves separated from their extended family members throughout the year. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for many to return to their hometown and catch up with relatives. Though there are many ways to embrace the holiday, this article will explore how Edgemont students celebrate the festival that is native to a country oceans away.
Student Interviews:
James Qian (‘25): “We make lots of traditional Chinese food as well as just have a good time in general. I help my parents prepare the food while my brothers help with the eating part. Oftentimes, we make foods like dumplings and spring rolls, and we buy mooncakes to eat. I like the lotus seed paste with salted egg yolk flavor best. Even though the mooncakes have very high calories, often exceeding 800, and don’t hold much nutrition, we still enjoy them as part of our tradition and cherish them, as this mid-August to October period is the only time in the year when they are sold. Sometimes I also make red lanterns with my brothers. Red’s the color for luck, and lanterns are just another crucial aspect of this holiday. Instead of putting candles in them like the professional way, we make it with ordinary red paper. It’s always lots of fun.”
Maya Barmecha (‘26): “Sometimes I eat mooncake and I celebrate by learning about this holiday at my Chinese School.”
Jiya Singh (‘23): “Me and my family eat mooncakes and wish each other good luck. ”
Zander Zhou (‘26): “My sister and I don’t really celebrate the moon festival because of its historical and mythological value, but it is still an opportunity for us to experience the culture of our parents. On the day of the Moon Festival, we eat 月饼 [mooncakes in Chinese] and look at the full moon.”
Alyssa Wang (‘27): “We usually eat mooncakes outside or take a walk. We’ve also made homemade mooncakes at home.”
Haoyi Zhang (‘26): “All I do is eat moon cakes, even though I don’t like them too much. We eat egg yolk and durian mooncake, and my parents cook crabs. All in all, the most important part is that you spend it with family.”
Aaron Zhang (‘25): “I honestly forgot about the Mid-Autumn festival this year, but my family would usually celebrate with family and friends.”
Michelle Shao (‘25): “Usually for this holiday, I go to a friend’s house with my family and we eat a big dinner together. The host family cooks traditional Chinese delicacies while my family might bring some desserts or appetizers. Some foods we eat include dumplings and steamed buns. The steamed buns coincidentally fit in with this holiday very well because they have a round figure, like the full moon. In Chinese culture, the curved edges here represent uniting and rejoicing with family and friends, as well as worshiping Chang’e, the goddess of the moon. For dessert, we eat mooncakes, which is a food special for this exact holiday. I prefer the lotus seed flavor without egg yolk, but my family also buys the red bean paste flavor. It’s very nice to spend time with family and eat a lot of good food.”
Kaushambi Roy (‘27): “I've never celebrated it before, but it sounds interesting!”
As you can see, the main focus of the Mid-Autumn Festival is to spend precious time with family. Let’s end with an advertisement from Sarah Hu (‘25):
“MOONCAKES ARE THE BESST!!!! IF YOU HAVEN’T TRIED ONE BEFORE, YOU ARE MISSING OUT!”
(Disclaimer: mooncakes are expensive, so buy them after the holiday when they’re discounted. You’ll want to stock up on them. You’ll have boxes and boxes of mooncakes just like how Mr. Scalley has cabinets full of Mallomars.)
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