Culture Corner: The Mid-Autumn Festival

 General info

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Full Moon Festival and Têt Trung Thu, is a popular holiday throughout east and southeast Asia. This year it is celebrated on October 1st. Popular festivities include lanterns of various shapes, moon cakes, dragon dances, and sometimes worship of the God of Earth (frequencies of this activity can vary). The festival is geared towards children.



Legends associated with the Festival

There are several legends associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival. One of the more common ones is about Hằng Nga (known as 嫦娥 in Chinese), who consumed several mixtures which granted immortality. This overconsumption led to her floating up to the moon. Another tale is about a man named Cuội. Cuội had found a sacred tree and urinated on it, at which point the sacred tree began to float. Trying to bring it down, he clung to the tree, only for it to bring him to the moon.

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