Tet Trung Thu, so called Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon festival, is believed to originate from China and celebrated by many Asian countries, including Vietnam, falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar.
Through the traditional concept, during the festival the moon displays its full shape with the brightest light, representing fulfillment and hope of auspicious weather, prosperous crops, peace & wealth. During the harvest season parents are busy with peasant work, hence, they take this time to make up for their children. Years after years, it has become a special occasion for family reunions, vibrant dragon dance, colorful lanterns and delicious moon cake.
During the celebration, family members usually get together, show gratitude to their ancestors and delightedly enjoy mooncakes over fragrant lotus tea while admiring the fullest moon. In the meantime, kids typically parade along the street with their well-lit lanterns, reciting folk poems, chanting traditional moon-welcoming intonation, and playing traditional games.
Long time ago, there was a naughty boy, named Cuoi, remains lost in heaven alongside his banyan tree due to his continuous lie. Every Mid-Autumn festival, his neighbors light up the lanterns with the hope that the bright light will guide him the way home. Since then, the lanterns have become one of the symbols of the moon festival. Children with lanterns, masks and special costumes marching around, make the streets of the cities echo with the sound of drums as dozens of lion roam around.
Dragon dance which is the center of the parade is fascinating with the participation of a huge amount of children, ranging from little kids to teenagers. When the clock reaches midnight, crowding activities will be replaced by the mild moment, when family members stay together enjoy worship platform and mooncakes with green tea while watching the beautiful light of full moon.
Today, the festival remains as an essentials part in Vietnamese spiritual belief. Visiting Hanoi, travelers can experience the festive spirit in the old quarter, specially, in Hang Ma Street and Dong Xuan market, where colorful lanterns and angel wings and all type of decoration are festooned.
Recommendation for Moon Festival
1. Hang Ma | Center of Mid–Autumn Festival
Known as a small street in the old quarter, Hang Ma is one of the streets retains Hanoians’ traditional, commercial slant, making votive objects used for worship and work-paper ornaments.
Besides, Hang Ma displays all kinds of toy and decoration for every celebration and Moon festival in particular.
2. Dong Xuan Market | Hanoi’s nightlife
Besides the daily market opened from 7 am to 9pm, Dong Xuan street is also famous for its night market. Coming here, travelers will be amazed with street food vendors and experience Hanoi night light.
Ranking on the second place after Hang Ma, this market is a very popular place for Mid-autumn festival celebration.
3. Moon Cake | The heart of the Moon festival
Above and beyond fairy tales, plentiful fruits and cheerful dragon dances, moon cake is an important feature of the moon festival. Mooncakes are traditionally filled with lotus seeds, orange peel, ground beans, egg and pork fat. The original shape is round which represents full moon and mascot of the festival. In recent years, mooncake filling has veered from traditional ingredients and truly toxic ones have been introduced.
