Sometimes, they hide a duck egg or yolk inside. Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates. Literally, Chinese people refer to this festival as "passing the year," which means shooing out the old and welcoming the new; it is considered the most important Chinese holiday of the year. You will find there are also a plethora of newer flavours, such as green tea or chocolate. The famous varieties are egg yolk red bean paste mooncake and small sized glutinous rice mooncake. The lanterns do not function as signals anymore, but are now used as symbols of peace and good fortune. The advertisements of the two major manufacturers have been launched intensively during the Mid-Autumn Festival for several years, gradually leading the trend of “Mid-Autumn Festival barbecue”. The most familiar myth concerning this festival is that Chang-e flying to the moon after secretly drinking her husband's elixir of life. This is known as Zhongyuan Pudu, or Universal Salvation. On the Chinese New Year's Eve, families complete their spring cleaning, signifying the sweeping away of the misfortunes of the previous year. The barbecuing that is so popular in Taiwan on this holiday is a recent custom is in which families and friends get together and enjoy a meal. Foreign visitors enjoy releasing Sky Lantern when visit Pingxi (Pingsi). May the round moon bring you a happy family and a successful future. Normally, on the 23rd or 24th day of the last month of the Chinese lunar calendar, people sacrifice to the Hearth God and send him off on his annual journey to Heaven; this signals the start of the Chinese New Year holidays. Of these two locales, Toucheng has the larger celebration. You may hear about the sun and moon being married and the stars being their children, about the full moon being pregnant and the crescent moon having shrunk after giving birth. Households along the route of the divine procession prepare offerings of fresh flowers and fruit, and light strings of firecrackers to welcome the Master Han Dan. In southern Taiwan, people also worship the deity of tree for protecting the forest. I wish you a happy Mid-Autumn Day and a wonderful life. He stands courageously amid the fusillade of firecrackers, protected only by a tree branch. 290, Sec. The Mid-Autumn Festival began as early as 3000 years ago during the Shang Dynasty. Many will set up the grill on the sidewalk that fronts their home, but others will go to parks to feast on things like roast boar, pomelos, mooncakes (of course), and perhaps, cassia wine. After the spring cleaning, a New Year's cake is made (the cake is a symbol of "reaching new heights"). Further ReadingMid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong, Mid-Autumn Festival in Other Asian Countries, Chuseok - Korean Thanksgiving, Mid-Autumn Festival in Korea, Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam - Têt Trung Thu, Children’s Festival. On the last day of the month - the day when the gates of the netherworld close – they also hold a big Grappling with the Ghosts pole-climbing competition. Then there is the "Keeping of the Year," which is seeing the old year out and the New Year in by staying up on New Year’s Eve. This harvest festival is one of the most popular events of the year. Performing groups from around the globe are here to entertain guests daily, Taiwan Lantern Festival is suitable for families. This starts after the family has finished eating the New Year’s Eve dinner. The Tourism Bureau has been holding the Taiwan Lantern Festival for years to attract visitors and raise the international profile of the cultural attractions of Taiwan. Adults then give the younger members of the family, particularly children, red envelopes with cash inside. During the game, six dices will be thrown in turn. Traditionally, on the day of Zhongyuan Festival every household has to prepare meat, fruit, fresh flowers, and other sacrificial items, which they offer to the “hungry ghosts” at temples or on temporary altar tables set up in front of their homes. Because this holiday occurs during the autumn, when the harvest season is over, people in earlier days chose this day to make offerings and thank the gods for the bountiful harvest. In Taiwan, when people talk about Mid-Autumn Festival, the first thing come into their mind is barbecue, even the traditional food mooncake is placed behind the barbecue. Dihua Street - Lunar New Year Shopping Area. When the Master Han Dan makes his annual inspection tour of the earthly world, crowds turn out to pray for his blessing and for good fortune. Mid-autumn festival is observed in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines on … All Rights Reserved. Qingjing Farm is located in Renai Town, Nantou. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated by Chinese people and the Sinosphere. To prevent everlasting oppression, she drinks the elixir herself and then flies off to become the moon goddess. Aside from this, there are also tales of the Jade Rabbit and of "Wu Gang chopping down the cassia tree.". The Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar with a series of activities throughout Taiwan. Quick Facts. Taiwan mooncake has its own characteristics, and the flavors are mostly salty sweet. At the time of the Dragon Boat Festival, the most common customs are holding dragon boat races and eating glutinous rice dumplings called zongzi. Das Mondfest oder Mittherbstfest (chinesisch 中秋节, Pinyin Zhōngqiūjié) ist neben das Chinesische Neujahr, das wichtigste Fest in China.. Nach dem Mondkalender ist der 15. These are often told to young children this time of year, but adults “are allowed to” listen in too if they wish. Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar. On the last day of the last month of the Chinese lunar calendar, families gather together for a New Year’s Eve dinner, called the "Gathering around the stove." It is also said that the further a lantern floats on the water, the better the fortune that the clan it represents will enjoy in the coming year. It is based on this similar custom that he sprouted the idea of making moon cakes with community residents and shared the festive joy with everyone. Traditionally, it starts from dawn on the first day of the month, when the gates of the netherworld open, and ends on the 29th day of the month, when the gates close. The second to last day of the last month of the Chinese lunar calendar is when families stick up spring couplets and New Year’s prints on their doors and windows to bring good luck. He said that, like the mainland, eating moon cakes is also an essential part of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan. Tweet; The roundest moon can be seen in the autumn. Address：9F., No. Grappling with the Ghosts is a pole-climbing competition held during Ghost Month. On the Moon Festival in Taiwan, you can find a buffet of barbecues in the streets, parks, by rivers and even outside the office buildings.There are several reasons about why barbecue is so popular during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan. Together with the Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival is one of Taiwan's three major annual traditional holidays. In one version, Master Han Dan is the god of hooligans and his power grows with the loudness of the explosions. Most Taiwanese have ancestral tablets in their homes. Unlike China, Taiwan is not known for paper lantern displays during Mid-Autumn Festival, these being mostly put out on the 15th day of Chinese New Year, but travellers will still find much to do, such as the following: If in Taiwan during Mid-Autumn Festival, you will find there are many enjoyable events to participate in that will help you better understand Taiwanese culture. The Taipei City government opened up to 20 riverside parks for public enjoyment, just specifically for this moon festival. ). Every year, there is also an international dragon boat race with competing teams from Taiwan and abroad. The display starts one day before the Lantern Festival, when the deity tours the town in his sedan chair, accompanied by the discharge of firecrackers and bottle rockets. The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is one of the most colorful activities of the Lantern Festival. The purpose is to help light the way for the lost souls in the water, call the souls to come on land to enjoy the offerings prepared for them, and pray for the early reincarnation of these souls. They also ask monks to say prayers for their deceased loved ones as well as those lost souls who have no living descendants left on earth. One of the most popular poems centered around this happy time is the “Water Tone Song”, a work by Su Shi. The seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar is Ghost Month. 4, Zhongxiao E. The Yanshui Beehive Rocket Festival in Tainan County is another major event during the Lantern Festival. While it has certainly evolved over the years, this festival remains at the root of Chinese culture. The three kinds of leeks refer to chicken, pork and fish. pang yu liu. As Taiwan is a region steeped in tradition, it should come as no surprise that the Moon Festival has its fair share of customs, both old and new. In recent years, the Maokong gondola has opened a mountain cable car, which will become a popular spot to appreciate the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival night. The celebration has become a time for families to get together. It is said that mooncake betting was invented by Zheng Chenggong (1624.08.26－1662.06.23), a famous general who recaptured Taiwan from Netherlands, when he was on the Gulangyu Island to encourage soldiers. There are many cases of the Mid-Autumn Festival appearing in Chinese poems and literature. Therefore, in Taiwan, the moon worship has become a women’s activity. The fireworks display at the God of War Temple in Yanshui, Tainan City, is one of the most popular and anticipated events of the Lantern Festival. The barbeque on the street in Taoyuan, Taiwan, Mooncake, Sanzhi District, New Taipei, Taiwan, Festa des Vermar or Grape Harvest Festival, Festival of Corsican Wine or Fiera di u Vinu, Krakow Honey Harvest & Bee-Keepers Festival. A less widely accepted explanation is that Master Han Dan is afraid of the cold, so the people throw firecrackers at him to keep him warm and win his blessing. The number 4 is mainly what determines how big the prize is. In Taipei, there are some 20 riverside parks to barbecue at, some of the best being Dajia Riverside Park and Huazhong Riverside Park. 1 Oct 2020 Taiwan Thu, Oct 1, 2020 Add to calendar. Therefore, they held pole-climbing ceremonies to commemorate those who had passed away during the year. In Taiwan, the celebration of this holiday mostly consists of eating moon cakes and barbecuing while basking in the full moon. 4, Zhongxiao E. The ceremonies take place in temples and on streets. The Taipei Lantern Festival is held for several days at the Taipei Expo Park, reaching its peak on the day of the Lantern Festival itself. Rd., Da’an District, Taipei City 106433, Taiwan (R.O.C. For this occasion, people typically gather with friends and relatives to enjoy some quality time together in a simple, but fun holiday. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan, people put moon cakes, pomelos, and persimmons on the incense table, and pray for peace. During the festivities of the month, which reach a peak on the 15th day, people hold rituals to solicit salvation from disaster and misfortune. 1" major fire accident investigation team in Taiyuan Mountain Scenic Area, Taiyuan, True or False: This applies to groundwater, It is now decided whether there will be a shortage of water next summer, "A Different Mid-Autumn Festival" of Overseas Chinese.