Happy Moon Festival

Moon Festival 2000 Yin Chang Zhong (b.1968 Chinese) Watercolor Red Lantern Folk Art, Mukashi Collection

Today we celebrate the Chinese Moon Festival or

Mid-Autumn Festival.  It is one of the most celebrated festivals in China.

It is particularly special to our family because we were in China

to receive Claire Hui Ping during the Moon Festival in 2004.

It is a celebration of the end of the harvest season and reason for

families to come together and enjoy the full and beautiful moon.
{Think American Thanksgiving}

Mooncakes are the traditional sweet or savory treat enjoyed during the festivities.

We sent a box to David's foster family a year ago for the Autumn Festival.

They are given as gifts and shared together during this time with family and friends

They are quite an interesting delicacy -

Usually round in shape, they are a thin pastry shell filled with an array of fascinating fillings:

whole egg yolks, minced meats,bean curd, dates or lotus paste to name a few.
The top is marked with the symbols of the festival.
{Think American fruitcake}

You guessed it - not a family favorite!  We usually just enjoy Chinese food for dinner.

Tonight:  Chinese Chicken with Walnuts and Brown Rice



This is our favorite Moon Festival book:

and over the weekend, the kids made lanterns which are traditionally
taken outdoors with candles inside for moon gazing fun!

The heart of the Moon Festival is reunion.
Families travel home (sometimes all the way back to China) to be together.

We are apart from our families today, and even apart from our Baba who is traveling,
but as we gaze at the glorious full moon,
we pray that we will, God willing, be united for a special time together very soon!!!