Why Chinese People Celebrate Mooncake Festival 2022

The Mooncake Festival 2022   is an annual event celebrated by Chinese people and many other Asians worldwide. The festival occurs on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month and is a time to thank the gods and enjoy the harvest. Families gather and share mooncakes, round cakes filled with lotus paste or bean paste, and sometimes with a salted egg yolk in the center. The festival is also a time for exchanging gifts, and for families to catch up with each other.

The Mooncake Festival has its origins in the Chinese Moon Goddess, Chang’e. The story goes that, long ago, 10 suns in the sky made the earth very hot. A hero named Houyi shot down 9 of the suns, leaving only 1 to provide light and warmth. An immortal named Feng Meng gave Houyi’s wife, Chang’e, an elixir that would make her immortal. But Houyi found out and, afraid that Chang’e would become more powerful than him, he tried to take the elixir away from her. In the struggle, the elixir was spilt and Chang’e drank some of it. She then floated up to the moon where she has lived ever since.

Every year, on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, the moon is at its brightest and fullest. This is when the Chinese celebrate the Mooncake Festival. At the festival, people eat mooncakes and offer them to the moon goddess to honor her. The round shape of the mooncake symbolizes the moon, and the filling (usually lotus paste or bean paste) represents the elixir that Chang’e drank.

Mooncakes are available in many different flavors, and each family has their favorite recipe. The most popular flavors are lotus paste and bean paste. Still, there are also many other flavors such as red bean paste, green bean paste, jujube paste, chestnut paste, and even durian paste! Mooncakes are usually eaten with tea and can be bought from most Chinese bakeries.

The Mooncake Festival is a time for families to get together and catch up, and it is also a time for exchanging gifts and giving thanks to the gods. The festival is a special and important part of Chinese culture, and it is a time for everyone to enjoy the harvest and the earth’s bounty.