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~ Mooncake or Mid Autumn Festival ~
Festival Date - 30 JUN 2012
The Mid-Autumn or Mooncake
Festival also known here as Tang Lung Festival falls on the 15th day of the Chinese eighth month and is
celebrated to signify the end of the harvest season. As it is
associated with paper lanterns, it is also called the Lantern
Festival.
In Malaysia, the Chinese celebrate the festival with
family gatherings, prayers, mooncakes and lantern parades by
children. Weeks before the festival, Chinese families present gifts
of mooncakes to friends and senior
relatives to foster better ties
with them.
On the 15th night when the moon is shining its brightest, offerings
of mooncakes, deep fried chicken, roasted pork, water calthrops,
yam, water melon seeds and Chinese tea are made to deities and
ancestors, on the praying altar. Lighted lanterns are also hung
conspicuously in front of homes. Prayers are offered with the
customary lighting of joss-sticks, red candles and golden joss-paper
are burnt. After prayers, there is feasting and merry-making with
children carrying lighted lanterns around the neighbourhood. Here
they are sometimes joined by their non-Chinese friends in
celebrating with lanterns. In Kuala Lumpur, the Thean Hou Temple in
Robson Heights usually organises a lantern procession.
Mooncakes
As early as one month before the event, Chinese restaurants
in the country�s major towns sell mooncakes. In Kuala Lumpur the
best place for mooncakes is non other than in Chinatown or Petaling
Street. To the Chinese, the round shape of mooncakes symbolises
family unity. Each mooncake is about the size of a human palm. Among
the popular varieties are the black bean paste (tou-sha), brownish
lotus paste (lien-yung) yellow bean paste (tou-yung). Usually the
paste contains the yolk of a preserved duck�s egg to enhance the
flavour.
Lanterns
They usually come in various shapes like dragon, butterfly, rabbit,
carp and others. In keeping with the times battery operated lanterns
are also available, but they are not as popular as those lit by
candles.
History behind the Mooncake Festival
Back during the Soong dynasty when the Chinese were oppressed by the
Mongols, their rebel leaders sought to overthrow the Mongol
overlords.
As meetings were banned it was impossible to make plans. Liu Fu Tong
of the Anhui Province came up with a plan by requesting permission
to distribute cakes to his friends to bless the longevity of the
Mongol emperor.
 He made thousands of cakes shaped like the moon and
stuffed with sweet fillings. Inside each cake however was placed a
piece of paper with the message: �Rise against the Tartars on the
15th day of the 8th Moon�. Reading the message, the people rose
against the Mongols on a local scale. This rebellion enabled Chu
Hung Wu, another rebel leader to eventually overthrow the Mongols.
In 1368, he established the Ming dynasty and ruled under the name of
Emperor Tai Tsu. Henceforth, the Mid Autmn Festival was celebrated
with mooncakes on a national level.
information - details - regarding
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