autumn moon festival

Title: 中秋节 (Zhōngqiū Jié / Mid-Autumn Festival)

AGE: 54
Date_of_performance: May 1, 2025
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Nationality: Canadian
Occupation: Retail worker and teacher
Primary Language: English
Residence: Toronto, Canada (formerly lived in Beijing, China for 20 years)

Folklore Explanation:
“When we lived in Beijing, we always made a point to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s such a beautiful time of year—the air would start to cool, and you’d see mooncakes everywhere, all wrapped in ornate boxes. We’d pick some up, usually with lotus seed or red bean filling, and head to one of the parks in the evening. The full moon that night always felt enormous, almost too perfect to be real.

We’d find a quiet spot, usually one of those pagodas near a pond or on a hill, and set up a little picnic. Tea, fruit, mooncakes. It was never fancy, but it felt meaningful—just sitting together and watching the moon. Around us, you’d sometimes see other families doing the same, or even lighting lanterns, but we usually kept it simple. It wasn’t about tradition in the strict sense, more about soaking in the atmosphere. It was one of those nights where everything felt calm and reflective, like the city was collectively exhaling.”

Analysis
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a calendar-based seasonal ritual, rooted in harvest celebration and lunar worship. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month and centers on themes of family reunion, cosmic harmony, and abundance. The legend of Chang’e, the moon goddess, is the mythological centerpiece, making this a form of mythical and narrative folklore. Its practices—moon-gazing, eating mooncakes, lighting lanterns—are considered participatory folklore, passed down through domestic traditions, community gatherings, and increasingly, commercial influence. While originally tied to agricultural cycles and Taoist cosmology, the festival today blends spiritual symbolism with secular celebration. In urban areas like Beijing, participation often includes public space rituals, shared meals, and aesthetic appreciation of the moon—bridging the traditional and the contemporary.