The Mid-Autumn Festival was yesterday. äžç§è (ZhĆngqiĆ« jiĂ©) as it's known in Chinese, is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, and stems from emperors in ancient China worshiping the harvest moon in hopes of a bountiful yield.
From there, it has slowly developed into one of the most important holidays in China and surrounding countries. This is a time when families gather together, barbecue, and appreciate the full moon. There are many historical legends that talk about the goddess and the rabbit in the moon, and you can search for them between the craters on a clear night.
A staple of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival is eating mooncakes. Mooncakes are a dessert with a thin outer pastry and a filling ranging from traditional red bean, mung bean, sesame paste and sometimes an egg yolk to more modern flavors including ice cream. While a delicious treat to enjoy while you gaze at the moon, the cakes have also played an important role in Chinese history.
During the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) these cakes were used by Ming revolutionaries to overthrow the ruling Mongols. In a time of military conflict, passing secret messages was difficult, but a general came up with a clever plan. He spread a rumor that a plague was coming and the only way to prevent it was to eat special mooncakes. He then sent these mooncakes to surrounding villages, which contained messages with the date and time of the uprising inside. There were also codes embedded into the top of the intricately decorated mooncake, which, when cut and rearranged a certain way, would spell out a message. Afterward, the message was easily destroyed by eating all the pieces.
If you haven't had a chance to try these, next time the Moon Festival rolls around, I suggest finding one and giving it a try surrounded by family, looking up at a brilliant full moon.