![]() The quintessential food of the Mid-Autumn “Moon” Festival is the mooncake, a dense pastry traditionally made of lotus seed paste and salted duck egg yolk. Having been cancelled in 20 because of social distancing rules to curb the spread of Covid-19, the dragon dance was again suspended in 2022, for the third consecutive year. The event has been inscribed on a national list of intangible cultural heritage. In 1880, so the legend goes, Tai Hang suffered a plague that was dispelled only after villagers made a dragon from straw, covered it with lit joss sticks and paraded it around the village. In the 19th century Tai Hang was a poor fishing village populated by people of the Hakka minority. The fire dragon dance can feature up to 300 performers, who parade a dragon made of straw stuck with glowing incense sticks through the narrow streets of Tai Hang village, on Hong Kong Island near Causeway Bay. That idea of celebrating together imbues the festival in Hong Kong, where the Monday following Mid-Autumn Festival is a public holiday, giving families a three-day weekend to fully appreciate the coming and going of the full moon. “May we live long and share the beauty of the moon together, even if we are hundreds of miles apart.” Song dynasty Chinese poet Su Shi wrote of the festival: When picturing Mid-Autumn Festival, most think of sharing mooncakes – the sweet snack synonymous with the festival – but as the lanterns begin to hang anew, the Post explores the festival beyond the food and decorations. It is celebrated on the night when the moon is at its fullest and brightest – on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar. The glow of lanterns, savoury and sweet mooncakes, and a beaming full moon will mark celebrations for the second biggest Chinese holiday of the year, Mid-Autumn Festival, on September 10.Īcross many cultures, celebrating the harvest is of great importance, but no harvest festival comes with such a history and collection of tales as the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. The second biggest Chinese holiday of the year is celebrated with the giving of mooncakes, family dinners of seasonal autumn foods and, in one corner of Hong Kong, a fire dragon dance. St Mary’s Church|Marshalswick, St Albans|9 November|3.30–5.30pmĭeutschsprachige Gemeinde Edinburgh & Deutsche Samstagsschule Allemann Fun| 9 November|4.30pmĭietrich Bonhoeffer-Kirche|Forest Hill, London|10 November 3.30–4.30pmĭeutschsprachige Katholische Gemeinde St.How Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated, from mooncakes to lanterns ![]() Martin-Luther-Kirche Manchester|9 November|4.30pmĭeutsche Samstagsschule|Lakeside, Nottingham|9 November|5pm To let their British friends in on the fun of this late autumn favourite, the German churches in the UK organise lantern walks throughout November. Where to go on a traditional German lantern walk in the UK Whichever way the story goes, the geese were roasted, and to this day the traditional St Martin’s Day dish is Martinsgans (St Martin’s goose). Legend has it that Martin had a special relationship to geese, who were either interrupting his sermon or giving him away when he hid among them. In some regions of Germany children go from house to house with their lanterns, knock on doors and sing Martin songs in exchange for candy. In rural areas, everybody gathers around a bonfire after the walk, where pastries and other treats such as Stutenkerl,Weckmann or a Martinshörnchen are handed out to the children. The processions end with the reenactment of this story. St Martin is famous for the story of donating his cloak to a beggar - the story goes that St Martin saw a beggar in the street, freezing in the cold, and decided to cut his cloak in half and give it to the beggar. Sometimes the procession is led by a rider dressed up as St Martin, who sits on a white horse wearing the costume of a Roman soldier with armour, sword and red cape. After the sun sets, young and old come together to walk through the town, singing songs and carrying their colourful lanterns. The most iconic tradition is the lantern procession, for which children make their own paper lanterns in schools, churches or at home ahead of time. ![]() On or around 11 November, lantern walks, bonfire, a goose roast and other treats are some of the traditions for Saint Martin’s Day and a recipe for a “gemütlich” (that’s German for hygge) start into winter. In Germany, a host of customs has sprung up from the celebrations for St Martin, the Roman soldier turned saint for sharing his coat with a beggar. On St Martin’s Day, groups of children go for a walk with self-made lanterns
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