After Spring Festival, 中秋节 (zhōng qiū jié) Mid Autumn Festival is the 2nd biggest Traditional Chinese festival. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month which is usually somewhere between September and October.
Chinese people believe the full moon is a symbol of peace, prosperity, and family reunion. On Mid-Autumn night the harvest moon is supposed to be the brightest and fullest of the year, so the festival is also known as the "Day of Reunion" and the "Moon Festival".
Many traditional and meaningful celebrations are held in China and China's neighboring countries. Having dinner with family, 团圆饭v(tuan yuan fan), admiring the full moon, 赏月(shang yue), eating mooncakes, and lighting up lanterns, 点灯笼(dian deng long) are the most popular activities.
Mid-autumn Festival
中秋节
Cakes are densely filled with pastry that represents the family unity. To emphasize it, cakes are often shared among family members with tea during the holiday period.
Nowadays there are several different styles of moon cakes. The following are the traditional flavors of moon cakes:
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Lotus seed paste (莲蓉, lían róng): Lotus paste filling is found in all types of mooncakes. It is made from dried lotus seeds and is considered the most delicious filling for a moon cake. Due to the high price of lotus paste, white kidney bean paste is sometimes used as a filler.
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Sweet bean paste (豆沙, dòu shā): A number of pastes are common fillings found in Chinese desserts. Although there are several different kinds of bean paste, 红豆沙 (hóng dòu sh) red bean paste is the most commonly used filling for moon cakes.
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Jujube paste (栆泥, zǎo ní): A sweet paste is made from the fruits of the jujube (date) plant. The paste is dark red in color, a little fruity/smoky in flavor, and slightly sour in taste.
Traditional Mooncake
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Five kernel (五仁, wǔ rén): A filling made of 5 types of nuts and seeds, which were coarsely chopped, helding together with syrup. Recipes differ from region to region, but commonly used nuts and seeds include:walnuts, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, or almonds. In addition, the mixture will usually contain candied winter melon, jinhua ham, or pieces of rock sugar as additional flavoring.
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Egg yolk (蛋黄, dàn huáng): Many of the traditional moon cakes contain one or two yolk to represent the moon.
Contemporary Mooncakes
Ice cream mooncakes
冰激凌月饼 /bing ji ling yue bing/
They are made of ice cream, and made to look like mooncakes. They have become increasingly popular in recent years among young people and kids.
Fruit and vegetable mooncakes
水果蔬菜月饼 /shui guo shu cai yue bing/
Naturally, the fillings for this kind of flavor are various vegetables and fruits which include: hami melon, pineapple, litchi, strawberry, white gourd and orange.
Seafood mooncakes
海鲜月饼 /hai xian yue bing/
These are the most expensive mooncakes. They feature a fresh and slightly salty flavor. Commonly used fillings include: abalone, shark fin and dried purple seaweed.
