Do foreigners also celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival? What are the customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival in foreign countries?

Influenced by Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival in some countries in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, especially the overseas Chinese living there. Although it is the Mid-Autumn Festival, the customs of different countries are different, and the various forms express people's infinite love for life and longing for a better future.

Japan’s “Moon View Festival”: Eating dumplings and admiring the moon

The Japanese call the Mid-Autumn Festival “Moon View Festival”. On the festival day, thousands of residents put on costumes with rich ethnic characteristics, chanted and shouted, helped the old and the young, carried shrines to temples and offered incense. The children also go to the wild to collect wild grasses that symbolize good fortune and decorate their homes to usher in happiness. In the evening, the whole family gathers in the yard and places fruits, rice dumplings, etc. as offerings to the moon god. Then they share food, admire the moon, and listen to the old man's stories about the moon. myth. What Japanese people eat during the Mid-Autumn Festival is not moon cakes, but "dumplings" made from glutinous rice, which come in different shapes and are mainly filled with bean paste. Today, only a few places in Japan retain the custom of celebrating the "Moon Viewing Festival".

Korea's "Chuseok Festival": Reunion at home, tasting sponge cake

Korean people call the Mid-Autumn Festival "Chuseok Festival". Chuseok is one of the most important festivals in South Korea. Starting from the 14th day of the eighth lunar month, the whole country will have a three-day holiday to celebrate the festival. The most important thing about the "Chuseok Festival" in Korea is that the whole family reunites at the grandparents' house. First, they worship their ancestors, and then the whole family dances and admires the moon together. The girls put on colorful traditional costumes and played the ancient springboard game. South Korea also has a unique Mid-Autumn Festival food - waffles. The muffins are shaped like half moons and are made of rice flour. The fillings are bean paste, date paste, etc. They are named after the pine hair pads when steaming them. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, every family steams and feeds them to each other.

Vietnam's "Mid-Autumn Festival": Listening to Agui and lighting lanterns

In the Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival, children and carps are valued, which shows its own characteristics. Agui is equivalent to the Vietnamese version of Chang'e. According to legend, after Agui got the fairy tree, he did not follow the instructions of the immortal and watered the tree with sewage. As a result, the fairy tree flew into the sky and flew to the moon palace. Agui was also taken away to be punished for holding the root of the tree. At night, colorful lanterns were put on. Legend has it that a carp became a spirit and harmed people. In order to save people, Bao Gong tied a carp lantern with paper to suppress it. Therefore, children all listen to the legend of "Agui" on the Mid-Autumn Festival night, and also carry carp lanterns to go out and play, which indicates that they will "jump through the dragon gate" when they grow up.

Sri Lanka's "Full Moon Festival": listen to scriptures and worship the moon

The Mid-Autumn Festival is an annual event in most countries and regions in Asia. However, Sri Lanka's "Full Moon Festival" is spread according to Buddhist customs. Every month when the moon is reunited, a festival is held. Of course, the "Full Moon Festival" of the Mid-Autumn Festival is the most grand. On the day of "Full Moon Festival", Sri Lanka has a national holiday. After arranging delicious food early, the faithful men and women rush to temples or shrines to listen to sermons and worship the moon. After listening to the prayers, people sat around in the courtyard, eating delicious food and admiring the moon. Until the bright moon sets in the west, there will be singing, dancing and entertainment, and everyone will leave happily.

Thailand’s “Moon Prayer Festival”: Place fairy peaches to worship the Eight Immortals

Thais call the Mid-Autumn Festival the “Moon Prayer Festival”. On the night of August 15th in Thailand, every household builds an arch with sugar cane, and men, women and children gather together to worship the moon. On the Mid-Autumn Festival table is enshrined the "Eight-hole Immortal" from Chinese folklore. Each of them is lifelike, teaching "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" to the prayers, and each shows his magical powers. The table is also filled with delicacies such as "Shou Tao" and "Moon Cake". According to Thai legend, when praying for the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Eight Immortals will bring longevity peaches to the Moon Palace to wish Guanyin a birthday, and the Bodhisattvas and gods will "bless all living beings."

Myanmar's "Hanukkah": Lighting up lights and having a cloth meal

Burmese people will light up the lights on the "Full Moon Day" in August to celebrate the arrival of the "Hanukkah". On festival nights, thousands of lights are as bright as daylight, and "city and countryside never sleeps" everywhere. The King of Myanmar personally presides over the celebrations every year. The king also has to go out of the palace to watch lanterns and hold grand alms, surrounded by guards and civil and military officials. Movies, plays, dancing and singing are held all night long in various places. There are also large-scale alms and meals in the pagoda, which is very lively.

North Korea's "Chuseok Festival"

On the Chuseok Festival in North Korea, steamed cakes and pancakes are eaten.

The North Korean Mid-Autumn Festival is called the "Chuwen Festival". Also known as "Qiuxi" and "Jiapai", it is listed as the four major folk festivals along with New Year's Day, Hanshi and Dragon Boat Festival. On that day, they used muffins as a festival, and every family steamed them and gave them to each other. The puff pastry is shaped like a half-moon and is made of rice flour. It is filled with bean paste, millet meat, jujube paste, etc. It is named after the pine hair that is padded during steaming. Some also eat eight-treasure rice made of glutinous rice, pine nuts, chestnut meat, date paste and honey.

At night, while admiring the moon, they engage in tug-of-war, wrestling matches, or perform songs and dances. Women often do a swing competition called "Bruna".