Mid-Autumn Festival: Mooncakes, Lanterns and the Lady on the Moon

Falling on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, 27 September marks this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s the season to gorge on glorious, seasonal mooncakes! Or, if you’re a little more cultured, take this opportunity to nibble on slices of mooncake while sipping Chinese tea brewed gong fu style and appreciating the beauty of the full moon.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month every year because this is the night when the moon is said to be at its brightest and roundest. This has given rise to the tradition of “moon viewing”, where friends and family gather to feast on mooncakes while enjoying the night view, and children carry lanterns on parade.

The Myths Behind the Celebrations

There are primarily two legends behind the Mid-Autumn Festival; one relates to the moon, while the other is about mooncakes.

There once lived a husband and wife named Hou Yi and Chang’e. Hou Yi was a superb archer, while Chang’e was a beauty beyond compare. Ten suns rose in the sky one day, baking and scorching the earth that no crops could grow. Hou Yi used his archery skills and shot down nine of them, leaving us with the single sun we see now. In one version of the legend, he was given an elixir of immortality by the Heavens as a reward for his service. Not wanting to become immortal without his wife, Hou Yi gave the elixir to Chang’e for safekeeping until a rogue broke into their home and demanded the elixir from her. Rather than hand over the precious elixir to the intruder, Chang’e drank the elixir instead, which caused her to float up to the moon where she lives to this day.

In another version, Hou Yi became king after shooting down the suns. He turned into a greedy despot, wanting only to rule forever and escape death. He set about looking for the elixir of immortality, but when it was finally discovered, Chang’e took the elixir rather than let the people suffer under his immortal rule. When Hou Yi discovered her betrayal, he attacked her and she jumped out of a window to escape him, whereupon she floated up to the moon.

Mooncakes, which are supposed to be one of her favourite foods, are thus eaten to remember Chang’e.

They are also eaten to commemorate the rebellion of the Han Chinese. To overthrow the cruel Mongol rulers, secret messages were baked into mooncakes and distributed, asking them to join in the rebellion that was to take place on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. The uprising was, of course, successful, and so we continue to eat mooncakes on this particular day.

Mooncake Magic

So, what exactly are mooncakes? These sweet treats come in a round cake form, moulded with custom designs on it. They are traditionally baked to an even brown and filled with lotus paste, although the various additions to the filling makes it anything but boring. To minimise the sweetness of the lotus paste, you can choose to purchase mooncakes with one, two or even – for the ultimate in decadence – four salted egg yolks. There are also fillings such as melon seeds or various nut mixtures for a healthier take on this indulgent sweet. If you like the crust but not the filling, the little piglets in plastic baskets that you find in bakeries all over the island are made from the same rich pastry.

Many new flavours have been introduced to the market, but you’ll realise these mostly come in the “snow skin” variety, not the baked crust mentioned above. Snow skin mooncakes are chilled instead of baked, and the filling is held together by a mildly sweet skin made from glutinous rice. Fillings are not restricted to a lotus paste base, and it is not uncommon to find different fruit, green tea, chocolate, ice cream or various alcohol-infused flavours on the market. In lieu of the salted egg yolk in the traditional baked mooncake, snow skin mooncakes can contain a whole chocolate truffle instead! Popular with the younger generation, snow skin mooncakes are available in a myriad of pretty pastels that look as good as they taste.

If you’ve got a hankering to try these confections, here are some places where you can get them. Good Chinese restaurants, five-star hotels and pastry shops are where you can find premium mooncakes that retail for about S$50 to S$70 for a box of four, usually in beautiful packaging, all ready for gift-giving. Single pieces are also available. Larger shopping centres such as Ngee Ann City and VivoCity will host annual mooncake fairs, with booths from the most famous of Singapore’s mooncake retailers gathered in one convenient spot. Samples are available so keep an eye out!

Lanterns Galore

It’s not just mooncakes that mark the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival. You’ll start seeing lanterns lining the streets of Chinatown soon! Visit Chinatown to see the massive lantern displays lining the street, and bask in the festive atmosphere. Alternatively, take the MRT down to Lakeside MRT station and pop by the Chinese Gardens after dark. The annual lantern display has free entry, and the usually tranquil park bursts into life with a carnivalesque atmosphere. Not only are there impressive giant lanterns on display, there will also be stalls selling smaller, personal-sized lanterns for you or the young ones to tote around. These lanterns can be made of paper and are traditionally lit by small candles, but for obvious safety reasons many of these have been replaced by lanterns that make use of lightbulbs and batteries instead. Some of the plastic lanterns made for children will even play music, adding to the gaiety of the festival. Grab this chance to try out traditional Chinese candy that are not often seen in Singapore, such as dragon beard candy or maltose candy shaped into beautiful animals or popular cartoon characters at the festival!


 

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