Venture Gurukool celebrated the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival, a symbol of harmony and unity with our Chinese companions.
The 24th of September 2018 marked the onset of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival or fondly known as the Moon festival which is a harvest festival that focuses on the spirit of gratitude, celebrated notably by the Chinese and Vietnamese people. The festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar with a full moon at night.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a fall festival with origins in moon-worship that marks the turning of the seasons and life’s cycles between new and old. The holiday is one of the three big festivals designated for the living. It is the second grandest festival in China after the Chinese New Year.
The festival celebrates three fundamental concepts that are closely connected:
• Gathering, such as family and friends coming together, or harvesting crops for the festival. It’s said the moon is the brightest and roundest on this day which means family reunion. And this is the main reason why people think mid-autumn is important.
• Thanksgiving, to give thanks for the harvest, or for harmonious unions
• Praying (asking for conceptual or material satisfaction), such as longevity, or for a good future.
On the festival day, family members gather to offer sacrifice to the moon, appreciate the bright full moon, eat moon cakes, and express strong yearnings toward family members and friends who live afar.
A notable part of celebrating the holiday is the carrying of brightly lit lanterns, lighting lanterns on towers, or floating sky lanterns. Another tradition involving lanterns is to write riddles on them and have other people try to guess the answers.
Making and sharing mooncakes is one of the hallmark traditions of this festival. In Chinese culture, a round shape symbolizes completeness and reunion. Thus, the sharing and eating of round mooncakes among family members during the week of the festival signifies the completeness and unity of families
Some regions like Hong Kong hold dragon and lion dances, which draw many participants and spectators.
The unique customs of ethnic minorities are interesting as well, such as “chasing the moon” of Mongolians, and “steal vegetables or fruits” of the Dong people.
Venture Gurukool wishes our friends and colleagues in China a very happy & prosperous Mid- Autumn festival 2018.