What is the Vietnamese Mid Fall Festival:
Vietnam is a country with many beautiful festivals. Besides the Tet Holiday, the Mid-Autumn festival is one of the most famous festivals. Mid fall festival usually takes place on the 15th day of the 8th in lunar calendar. Mid-Autumn is the day when the moon is at its brightest in a year. In that spirit, people worship the Moon Goddess. It is a traditional celebration for Vietnamese children because rice is harvested before the 15th day of the 8th lunar month (mid-autumn) in Vietnam. Each household then offers sacrifices to the God of Earth. While occupied with harvesting parents do not have much time to take care of their children; therefore, they make full use of the festival holiday to play with their children. Therefore, they make full use of the festival holiday to play with their children. Usually, a worshiping platform is set up in the yard during the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, on which mooncakes, fruit, and snacks are laid. Later, family members sit together to eat the food while appreciating the moon.
How Do the Vietnamese Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival?
On this day, the adults and the parents prepare many different foods – Moon cakes, candies, biscuits, jellies, and fruit, such as grapefruit, longan fruit, bananas, apples, mango, etc. All of them are designed with fun symbols, for example dog, cat, mouse, etc.
Eating Moon cakes
Today, there are many aisles selling “Banh Trung Thu” or moon cakes on all over Vietnam’s streets. These cakes are made with lotus seeds, green beans, and egg yolk, though there are other varieties of favors. Moon cakes are essential in each family parties or meals on Tet Trung Thu. It’s a symbol of family reunion.
The cake is traditionally cut into pieces that equal the number of people in the family. Eating moon cakes is the most common and representative tradition of the day. In ordinary times, people won't buy or eat moon cakes but during the Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone will have a moon cake to celebrate. Nowadays, they try to create many shapes and favors.
Lantern parade
If you traveled back to the past few centuries ago on Mid Fall festival day of every Lunar August, you would find yourself lost in the paradise of light and color thanks to the traditional lanterns hanging on every corner of the street. They are made of bamboo, color paper or cellophane. The shapes can vary from the stars, peach to animals (crab, fish, etc.) or even fairy tale figures, which are the things that all children fancy. On the full day under the moonlight, the children will hold these colorful lanterns to go around the neighborhood. They sing, play and laugh together. It is an amazing childhood we all kept when we were young. Nowadays, despite of the popularity of motor- lanterns with auto lights and sound, many still prefer traditional ones. They are not only the toys but also the special gifts for friends or tourists to remind them of full moon festival memory.
Lion Dancing
At night, groups of children parade through the streets, going from door to door and asking the owners for their permission to perform the lion dance. If it is agreed then the children will put on a show, which is believed to bring luck and fortune. Afterward, the owners will give the children lucky money for their gratitude.
These lion dances are fascinating, and huge numbers of children, ranging from little kids to teenagers, participate in this activity. As a result of having so many groups of children marching around, the streets of the cities echo with the sound of drums, as dozens of lions roam about.
Nowadays, although some of the traditions have been changed by modern life, the meaning and the performance has been kept and developed. It is certain that the Mid-Autumn day is important and famous for Vietnamese people. Everyone wants to join in it. And it really is a good example of the traditional culture of the Vietnamese.
