Mooncakes

The mooncake is a special pastry traditionally eaten during the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is about lunar appreciation and Moon watching, and as such mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy.

Making and sharing mooncakes is one of the hallmark traditions of this festival. In Chinese culture, a round shape symbolizes completeness and reunion. Thus, the sharing and eating of round mooncakes among family members during the week of the festival signifies the completeness and unity of families. In some areas of China, there is a tradition of making mooncakes during the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The senior person in that household would cut the mooncakes into pieces and distribute them to each family member, signifying family reunion. In modern times, however, making mooncakes at home has given way to the more popular custom of giving mooncakes to family members, although the meaning of maintaining familial unity remains

The mooncake first appeared in ancient times as an offering to the moon. At that time, emperors would pay homage to the sun in spring and to the moon in autumn. It was also a custom for the general public to worship or pay homage to the moon in mid-autumn, every lunar August. The age-old custom was handed down to later generations and eating moon cakes at the Mid-autumn Festival has now become an inseparable part of the celebrations.