Mooncakes festival.

Now that the Hungry Ghosts festival is over, the Chinese all over the world are looking forward to celebrate another major cultural festival – the Mooncakes festival. The Three major festivals celebrated by the Chinese are Chinese New Year (春节), All Souls Day (清明节), and Mooncake festival. The mooncakes festival, also known as mid-autumn festival (中秋節), falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month in Chinese calendar. For, 2007, the festival falls on September 25th 2007. Traditionally, the moon on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month is the brightest of the year, the Chinese usually have open air gathering under moon lights to drink tea and eat special moon cakes (月餅) to foster closer relationship among family members and friends.

Mid-Autumn Festival does remind me of a beautiful poem by Su Si (蘇軾，蘇東坡). The poem was also popularized by Taiwanese singer, Teresa Deng in a song titled "Wishing We Live Forever" (但願人長久) in 1983. Ahhhh….. Mid Autumn festival, a time for reunion and a time to think of departed loved one. I wish I can ride the winds while chewing on my favorite mooncake…….

明月幾時有，把酒問青天。

不知天上宮闕，今夕是何年。

我欲乘風歸去，又恐瓊樓玉宇，高處不勝寒。

起舞弄清影，何似在人間。

轉朱閣，低綺戶，照無眠。

不應有恨，何事長向別時圓。

人有悲歡離合，月有陰晴圓缺，此事古難全。

但願人長久，千里共嬋娟。

Please visit the following sites for further information on mooncakes festival :

Chinese Mid Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid Autumn Festival