How to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival at iQ
Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is an annual celebration in the Lunar Calendar, centred around the Autumn full moon. This year, it falls on 25th September. Here’s everything you need to know about it, plus ways you can celebrate at iQ.
What is Mid-Autumn Festival?
Mid-Autumn Festival dates back over 3000 years. It began in China, as a moon worship ceremony on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. People would pray and offer sacrifices to the moon, thanking it for the harvest and wishing for a bountiful one to come.
People still celebrate it today in a variety of ways, like enjoying family meals, eating mooncakes, lighting lanterns and admiring the moon.
How to celebrate at iQ
Check out CSSC for events
Check the Chinese Student Social Club on WeChat to see if your ambassadors will be hosting any events. Events are usually quite relaxed, so whether you’re popping in after classes or just grabbing a sweet treat to go, you’re always welcome to join in the festivities.
Host a family-style dinner
The friends you make at iQ become your family away from home, so why not get together for a family-style dinner? Book a private dining room or host in a shared kitchen and tuck into your favourite dishes. This is a great way to make sure you still experience sharing food with those you love this year.
Solve a riddle
Riddles can play a fun role in Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations – they are often printed onto lanterns. You can incorporate riddles into your own festivities, by writing some on people’s napkins at dinner or challenging your mates to create new ones. We’ve shared a couple below to get you warmed up (answers are at the end of the blog, but no cheating)!
- What has a mouth but cannot eat?
- The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Try a mooncake
Mooncakes are traditional pastries enjoyed during Mid-Autumn Festival. They can be sweet or savoury, with a range of different fillings, from double egg yolks to durian. Why not buy several different flavours and see which ones you prefer? Find them at your local Asian supermarket or online. If you’re a great baker, you could even have a go at making some yourself.
Do some moon-gazing
The moon is thought to be at its fullest and brightest during Mid-Autumn Festival, making it an impressive sight. Find a spot with your friends where the moon is visible (roof terraces are perfect for this!) and spend some time taking in its beauty and sharing stories under the stars. We recommend taking blankets, hot drinks and mooncakes with you too.
Find local celebrations in your city
Wherever you are in the UK, there’s bound to be a local celebration near your iQ. From Chinatown events to special restaurant menus, there’s a range of activities planned up and down the country to mark the occasion. For example, Birmingham’s Chinatown will be hosting activities, food, lion dances and more on 26th and 27th September, while Din Tai Fung restaurants in London will be serving a special Bao from 21st September with the same salted egg yolk filling as traditional mooncakes!
However you celebrate it, we wish you a very happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
(Riddle 1 answer: A river)
(Riddle 2 answer: Footsteps)
