As the longest lingering bastion of your British Empire, Hong Kong has often attracted attention from historians, media stalwarts, and ordinary travelers alike. However, any person keen to escape the hustle and bustle of Kowloon and also the crowded streets of Central really should make certain to check out Hong Kong when it is in its least industrial time of year – during the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in a range of East Asian countries, including China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. Initially, the festival commemorated the 14th-century Chinese uprising against the Mongols, in which the rebels spread the word of revolution on pieces of paper that had been hidden in cakes. These days, nonetheless, the Mid-Autumn Festival can be a pan-Asian celebration of togetherness and harmony, and usually falls around the 15th day from the eighth lunar month of your Chinese calendar (usually mid-to-late September or early October).
Any individual going to Hong Kong throughout the Mid-Autumn Festival is going to be treated to a colorful showcase, exactly where households makeup and light vibrant lanterns all through the city. Traditionally, lanterns are made inside the shape of animals but more lately, modern technological icons, like space ships and airplanes, have also been a well-liked selection.
Furthermore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is generally called the ‘mooncake’ festival, because mooncakes are traditionally eaten throughout this time. Mooncakes (or yuek being) are extensively regarded as a delicacy and are sweet, baked cakes that consist of a thin, soft skin having a sugary, oily filling. Typically, mooncakes will include one or far more complete salted duck egg yolks within the center to symbolize the full moon, when the actual filling can vary according to regional culture.
The original mooncake filling is popularly believed to become lotus seed paste, which (due to its higher price) is usually substituted by white kidney bean paste instead. Other seed pastes that might be utilized to fill mooncakes involve red bean paste (produced from adzuki beans), mung bean, and black bean paste; but jujube paste and five kernel paste are also popular. Also as indulging in specific mooncakes, lots of Chinese families may consume pomelos (a large form of grapefruit) although obtaining barbeques outside beneath the moon.
