The last mooncakes.... - a photo on Flickriver

            Mid Autumn Festival about over with ...these were given to me by my landlady!

The Mid-Autumn Festival, aka Moon Cake Festival, or Lantern Festival, is the second grandest festival after Chinese New Year for ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese people around the world, and people share often-overpriced cakes (mooncakes), often given in decorative boxes, with people they appreciate. Some are tasty; some are as dense as hockey pucks and get filled with exotic ingredients.
 
Mooncakes are made with egg yolks and come with a variety of fillings; the most popular are made from bean paste, lotus seeds, fruits, and sometimes even meat. The cakes are typically round to symbolize the full moon, although some are square. Many are skillfully decorated. Writing or patterns on top tell of good fortunes to come. Regional variations abound. The boxes for mooncakes are often as beautiful as the cakes inside, making them an attractive gift.
 
Known as the Zhongqiu Jie (Middle Autumn Festival) in Mandarin, the Chinese Moon Festival dates back to over 3,000 years. As with all practices so old, a lot of legends developed over the years; it becomes difficult to understand the original traditions. Most stories are based on the idea that the goddess Chang'e lives on the moon; however, tales of how she got there diverge widely.
One story suggests that the moon goddess was the wife of a legendary archer who was ordered to shoot down all but one of the suns in the sky. That's why we only have one sun. After accomplishing the task, he was given an immortality pill as a reward. His wife found and took the pill instead, then later flew to the moon where she lives now.
 
Another Chinese Moon Festival legend states that paper messages inside of mooncakes were used as a way to organize the exact date of a coup against the ruling Mongols during the Yuan Dynasty. The Mongols were overthrown on the night of the Moon Festival. Although this legend seems a little more plausible than a goddess living on the moon, little historical evidence suggests that this is how the Mongols were defeated.

Taken in: Malaysia / Pulau Pinang / Batu Feringgi (show map)

Taken on: September 30, 2012

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