The Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival ("Tet Trung Thu" in Vietnamese) is traditionally held on the 15th day of the 8th Lunar Month. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most popular festivals in Vietnam, and has been important to families in Vietnam for many years.

 

In 15th day of eighth Lunar month, the moon is so full and bright.
Mid-Autumn festival is the traditional moon worship festival of Vietnamese.

It is said that originally, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival came about as a way for parents to make up for lost time with their children after harvest season. The harvest was done by September, (August in the Lunar calendar) and the parents were anxious to spend time with their children and do something special with them, as well as celebrate the harvest, after spending much time working hard and away from the family. It was held under the full moon, which represents fullness and prosperity of life.

Star-shaped lanterns, small rice puppets, masks, small drums - variety kinds of traditional toys for child.

Tet Trung Thu is very much like a combination of our Halloween and Thanksgiving. Appropriately, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Children’s Festival. They parade on the streets, while singing and carrying colorful lanterns of different sizes. Some of the popular shapes include fishes, stars, butterflies. Lanterns represent brightness while the procession symbolizes success in school. Dances are also traditional, and include the dragon dance and the flower dance.

 Traditional mooncake with salted duck egg and sweet bean filling inside looks like full moon in the mid autumn

Banh Trung Thu, or Moon Cake is a special desert for Mid-Autumn Festival. It is customary to have moon cakes with a cup of tea, especially lotus green tea or jasmine tea. The cakes are filled with lotus seeds and orange peels, or ground beans and have a bright yoke in the center to represent the moon.

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