The Mid-Autumn or Mooncake Festival falls on the 15th day of the Chinese eighth month and is celebrated to signify the end of the harvest season. As it is associated with paper lanterns, it is also called the Lantern Festival.
There are many legends that surrounding this festival. There are three versions that are famously known by the folks that were passed on from the older generations to now.
Back during the Soong Dynasty when the Chinese were oppressed by the Mongols, their rebel leaders sought to overthrow the Mongol overlords. As meetings were banned it was impossible to make plans. Liu Fu Tong of the Anhui Province came up with a plan by requesting permission to distribute cakes to his friends to bless the longevity of the Mongol emperor. He made thousands of cakes shaped like the moon and stuffed with sweet fillings. Inside each cake however was placed a piece of paper with the message: ‘Rise against the Tartars on the 15th day of the 8th Moon’. Reading the message, the people rose against the Mongols on a local scale. This rebellion enabled Chu Hung Wu, another rebel leader to eventually overthrow the Mongols. In 1368, he established the Ming Dynasty and ruled under the name of Emperor Tai Tsu. Henceforth, the Mid Autumn Festival (Mooncake Festival) was celebrated with mooncakes on a national level.
Another legend tells how invading Mongols had destroyed the Soong Dynasty and treated the people like slaves. In a daring attempt to overthrow the Mongolian rule, rebel leaders sent hidden messages to each household baked in mooncakes. The mooncakes were part of the harvest festival and so the Mongolians would never partake of these pastries. The message instructed everyone to strike and kill the Mongolians during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The attack was successful and the Ming Dynasty was established.
And there are those who believe there is a beautiful woman on the moon. The lovely Chang-Er, who lived during the Hsia Dynasty (2205-1766 BC) was married to the great General Hou-Yi of the Imperial Guard. This General Hou was a skilled archer. One day, at the behest of the emperor, he shot down eight of nine suns that had mysteriously appeared in the heaven. His marksmanship was richly rewarded by the emperor and he became very famous. However, the people feared that these suns would appear again to torture them and dry up the planet, so they prayed to the Goddess of Heaven, Wang Mu, to make General Hou immortal so that he could always defend the emperor, his progeny and the country. Their wish was granted and General Hou was given a Pill of Immortality.
Chang-Er grabbed the pill and fled to the moon. (Sometimes it's uncertain whether she ever actually got there, because Chinese operas always portray her as still flying towards the moon). When Chang-Er reached the moon, she found a tree and a friendly hare sitting under it. Chang-Er decided to pound the pill into small pieces and scatter them on Earth so that everyone could be immortal. She ordered the hare to pound the pill, then built a palace for herself. She remains on the moon to this day. The helpful hare is found in Chinese mythology as the Jade Hare.
In Malaysia, the Chinese celebrate the festival with family gatherings, prayers, mooncakes and lantern parades by children. Weeks before the festival, Chinese families present gifts of mooncakes to friends and senior relatives to foster better ties with them.
On the 15th night of 8th month of Chinese calendar, when the moon is shining its brightest, offerings of mooncakes, deep fried chicken, roasted pork, water calthrops, yam, water melon seeds, pomeloes and Chinese tea are made to deities and ancestors, on the praying altar. Lighted lanterns are also hung conspicuously in front of homes. Prayers are offered with the customary lighting of joss-sticks, red candles and golden joss-paper are burnt. After prayers, there is feasting and merry-making with children carrying lighted lanterns around the neighbourhood. Here they are sometimes joined by their non-Chinese friends in celebrating with lanterns.
It's a family time, and the custom is to gather together, to share ritual food and watch the moon rise. Altars are piled with pomeloes, peanuts, fatt koh (steamed sponge cakes), fresh flowers and, of course, mooncakes. Wine and tea are served with round foods such as grapefruit, pomegranates, apples, grapes and always the sweet mooncakes. Called Yueh Ping, they are prepared in the shape of the moon and filled with sesame seeds, ground lotus seeds, red bean paste, a delicacy!
Chinese lanterns are also specialties for this festival. The most common are the paper folding type. However, there are many varieties of lanterns made of different shapes and materials. On this family occasion, parents allow children to stay up late, and take them to high vantage points to light their lanterns and watch the moon rise before eating their moon cakes.
The mooncake is a Chinese confection that is traditionally eaten during the Mooncake Festival, although they can be eaten at other times of the year as well. The festival is intricately linked to the legends of Chang Er, the mythical Moon Goddess of Immortality.
The most commonly seen mooncakes are soft pure lotus paste compactly wrapped in smooth golden brown pastry. Lotus paste is actually a combination of lotus seed and lye water boiled and blended into a paste. The addition of peanut oil and cooked glutinous rice flour result in a sticky paste which is then rolled into a ball, clothed with a well-mixed dough and stamped with an intricate pattern.
Mooncakes either come plain or with one, two, even up to four salted egg yolks tucked snugly in lotus paste filling. The ones with single egg yolk are thought to represent the loneliness of the Chinese goddess Chang Er who flew to the moon to escape the clutches of her husband.
Apart from egg yolks, some lotus paste fillings are also sprinkled with assorted nuts, fruits and even ham bits. This has always been a favourite with older Chinese folks.