The Mid-Autumn Festival

This Saturday is the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, we are gearing up for the festivities. The girls and I went shopping today to our local Asian mart to shop for some candies, moon cakes, pomelos and some different lanterns than we had last year. There were slim pickin's on the moon cakes , we picked out the mashed red bean paste, the only ones that the girls will eat.
They didn't have many lanterns left either(horrible Mom for procrastinating, jeez), we had some real sweet ones last year, they lit up and played music. Jillian's was a long string of fish of different colors and Jennifer's was two long strings of the traditional red lanterns. Jillian was able to destroy hers in seconds and went to work on her sister's, in the end we were left with one that lit up and one that played a catchy Chinese tune(it stays in your head for days).

This Sunday we will meet up (if all goes as planned??)with a group in London, have some yummy desserts then at dusk get ready for a parade of lanterns.

It is a beautiful sight, gorgeous little ones dressed in traditional costumes carrying their lanterns, some homemade, some brought home with them from China.

Our family will have our Chinese food dinner on Saturday, finish off with moon cakes, then walk our neighbourhood with the lanterns. Our neighbours look forward to seeing the girls and it takes a very long time to do the block as everyone come out share the festivities.

I have to look at our traditional outfits, I think we may have to purchase a new one for Jennifer who just won't stop growing!!

There is this story about the moon-cake. during the Yuan dynasty (A.D. 1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (A.D. 960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to the foreign rule, and set how to coordinate the rebellion without being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Backed into each moon caked was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attached and overthrew the government. Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend and was called the Moon Cake.For generations, moon cakes have been made with sweet fillings of nuts, mashed red beans, lotus-seed paste or Chinese dates, wrapped in a pastry. Sometimes a cooked egg yolk can be found in the middle of the rich tasting dessert. People compare moon cakes to the plum pudding and fruit cakes which are served in the English holiday seasons.Nowadays, there are hundreds varieties of moon cakes on sale a month before the arrival of Moon Festival. I love this photo, this is one big moon cake!! What is everyone's favourite flavour?

How is your family celebrating the Moon festival, do you have any of your own traditions?

I will post some photos of ours next week.