HAPPY AUTUMN MOON

The Moon Festival - also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival - occurs on the 15th of the 8th lunar month, ( or Oct 3rd this year)which coincides with the Autumn equinox of the solar calendar.

This is the time, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, to celebrate the summer's harvest. This is also one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture.

The festival dates back over 3,000 years to China's Zhou Dynasty. According to the legend, Houyi was a famous archer who shot the suns and was married to Chang Er. One fateful night Chang Er was lifted up to the moon, where she has lived ever since.

This story is a favorite subject of many poets familiar to most Chinese.The Moon Festival is also an occasion for family reunions. Traditionally, Chinese family members and friends will gather to watch full moon rise, eat moon cakes, eat pomelos and sing moon poems. Other customs include carrying brightly lit lanterns, burning incense in reverence to deities including Chang Er, planting mid-autumn trees and lighting lanterns on towers.Part of this holiday - the moon cakes! These Chinese pastries are typically round or square, filled with lotus seed paste and surrounded by a relatively thin (and oily) crust. Moon cakes may also contain salted duck egg yolk, which symbolizes the moon. Moon cakes are traditionally embossed with the Chinese characters for longevity or harmony on the top, and they are rich, heavy and dense compared to most Western cakes and pastries. They can be quite expensive and considered a delicacy - they're not easy to make, so don't attempt to create them at home. You can find them at Asian markets and bakeries, usually in red boxes and individually wrapped.

So venture to your nearest Asian market or Chinatown, snap up some mooncakes and a colorful lantern, and spend some time admiring the full moon.