Mid Autumn Festival

China celebrates the harvest season just as many cultures do all over the world. They gather together as families, enjoy delicious meals and show gratitude to those around them.
Mid Autumn festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar.  This year the celebration was the first week of October. One unique aspect of the Chinese celebration of their Mid Autumn Festival is a pastry called a moon cake!

Moon cakes are typically round and filled with various kinds if things.

Moon cakes are beautifully made but you never know what you are going to get when you bite or cut into one... No that's not chocolate filling you see below, but instead the most popular filling for moon cakes is red bean paste. 

Red bean paste is made by smashing cooked red beans and adding a little sugar and other ingredients to keep it together.  It is hard to describe the flavor of these because there really isn't anything I could compare it to back home. Other flavors include sesame, lotus flower, and egg yolk. Moon cakes are linked to the story of the mythical goddess of immortality to represent health and good fortune. 

Legend tells of a great archer Houyi, who was a respected and honorable man. He married a beautiful woman named Chang'er and they lived a happy life together. The archer wanted to spend forever with his love so he went to the Heavenly Empress and asked for the elixir of immortality. She was moved by his great love for his wife so she gave him one vial. He returned home and his wife hid the elixir in a wooden box and vowed not to take it until they could obtain another one for him. One day Houyi left in search of more elixir. No sooner had he left, then a stranger rode into their courtyard and threatened Chang'er with his sword. She had no choice but to drink the elixir.
When Houyi returned home and learned what had happened his heart broke. The Heavenly Empress felt pity and transferred Chang'er to the moon. Here she watches over all mortality and will never forget the love for her husband.

There are many legends about the moon and its significance in Chinese culture. Chinese families have many reunions, get married, celebrate the harvest and more. We were lucky enough to get a week long break to do some exploring and learn more about China's fascinating history.