It is now impossible to imagine Chinese traditions and celebrations without mooncakes, but in fact, they have lovers all over the world. Various countries and cultures of the world have incorporated themselves with the festival of moon cakes. In this article, we learn more about the different mooncake social uses as well as those of other miscellaneous cultures from across the world.
China: The Origin of Mooncakes
Mooncakes are thoroughly Chinese and were first produced during the 14th century during the rule of the Mongols. The mooncake festival or the mid-autumn festival is celebrated on the fourteenth or fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month when the moon is at its roundest and brightest. The festival is also thought to have started in the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), through people’s worship of the god of the moon.
Mooncakes are prepared from flour, sugar and/or lard or vegetable oil and the baking is done with sweet or some types of savory fillings. The most popular fillings are lotus seed paste, red bean paste or salted duck egg yolk filling. Mooncakes are usually small, spherical cakes whose pastry is quite thin, and whose filling is rich; mooncakes are served and eaten in portions.
Activities associated with the festival include exhibitions of lanterns, dragon dances, lion dances, and eating moon cakes under the light of the moon. People in China send mooncakes to their family and relatives and usually head out to the park and view some scenic area to appreciate the beauty of the night.
Vietnam: Lanterns and Dragon Boat Races
It is beautiful to see Vietnamese children in beautiful traditional clothes to the Zagoria festival, holding lampposts and lighting up the night streets. In Vietnam the festival of moon cake is known as Tet Trung Thu and the people over there celebrate this occasion very enthusiastically. Children what paper lamps in form of flowers and stars, and rice Taiwanese race to boats are they participate dragon boats.
Another cultural event linked with the festival would be Dragon boat races which are said to have followed the incidences of a poet named Qu Yuan who committed suicide by drowning in a river to avoid being taken captive by his enemies. The people attempted to save him but they couldn’t; the dragon boat races are in his honor.
Taiwan: Mooncake Exhibition and Mooncake Making Contest
That is why in Taiwan the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a family feast when people enjoy mooncakes and other easily digestible meals. Recently, mooncake exhibitions, event where various firms present their creativity in mooncake designs and flavors have been flooding the island. A lot of bakeries try to make modifications in fillings and flavors; one of which is chocolate, green tea, and durian.
There are also mooncake festivals where contestants present beautiful and tasty mooncakes as a result of the competition. They even have competitions for unique packaging and cover art for the mooncakes.
Malaysia: Nyonya Mooncakes
The Mid-Autumn festival in Malaysia have a special mooncakes known as the Nyonya mooncakes. Nyonya cuisine is the desire of the Chinese and Malay culture and usually; food in Nyonya style is spicy and aromatic.
The Nyonya mooncakes contain coconut milk and paste made from pandan leaves and spices giving a rich aroma and flavour. The biscuit for the filling is prepared from wheat flour and rice flour that makes it different from ordinary Chinese mooncakes.
Hong Kong: Luxury Mooncakes
Mooncakes are one specialty of an area specialized in luxury foods; their luxury level makes them almost status symbols. It is custom that top hotels and bakeries in the city offer their finest and most lavish mooncakes. These are customarily made mooncakes with some ingredients such as gold foil, white truffles, and caviar added to them.
This holds specially true for packaging of these luxury mooncakes whereby packaging is as much part and parcel of the total product offering. They are usually packaged in sophisticated, locally crafted trays and caskets, making them ideal products for undertaking business with our friends and kin.
Japan: Moon Viewing and Gazing
The Japanese celebrate the mooncake festival by observing the moon and this is done quietly. Also known as Tsukimi, it is held at the ninth month of the lunar calendar or in October. They also eat some special food and drinking such as they are doing today in Japan as a time for families to look upon the moon.
Japans also use chicky celebrated to depict the moon together with new dishes like rice dumplings sweet potato and chestnuts. Tsukimi dango, or moon viewing dumplings, are a gu-through-and-through sphere-shaped rice dumplings, sugared and usually grouped in three, a round tray to represent the moon.
India: Celebration of Mooncake Festival in Indian
Though the Mid-Autumn Festival is not celebrated in India, Chinese joint in the country have accepted the tradition of serving moon cake. The Indian Chinese cuisine is actually a mix culture and the mooncakes which is sold in Indian Chinese restaurants contain Indian flavors and history.
For instance some restaurants may make their mooncakes with fillings such as that of lotus seed paste scented with saffron or, a red bean paste with Cardamom. The crust is normally prepared with normal Indian spices like nutmeg and cloves.
Conclusion
The tradition of enjoying mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival is a beautiful celebration of unity, cultural richness, and shared values across the globe. As a dedicated mooncake supplier, we embrace the diverse ways this cherished festival is celebrated—from dragon boat races and lantern exhibitions to creative mooncake innovations that honor local traditions.
The universal love for mooncakes and the joy they bring during the festival reflect a heartwarming truth: people from different cultures can come together, bask in the moon’s soft glow, and share these delectable treats in harmony. Explore our selection of mooncakes and celebrate this timeless tradition with us at mooncakemfr.com
