Moon Cake

Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most popular festivities in China, and it is being celebrated all over the world nowadays. It is also called Moon Festival, and always on the 15th day of the 8th month by the Chinese Lunar Calendar. This year it falls on Saturday, October 3rd. In general, the main celebrations for this event are appreciating the moon, making Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns, and eating moon cake together. Although, people in different parts of China have different ways to celebrate this festival, one traditional custom has definitely remained and is shared by all the Chinese. That is eating moon cake.

Moon cakes are pastries that are about an inch in height. Inside, they are filled with sweet fillings. For generations, the fillings have been made with mixed nuts, red bean paste, lotus-seed paste, or Chinese date. Sometimes, a cooked salted duck's egg yolk can be found in the middle of the rich tasting dessert. The surface of moon cake is patterned the clouds, the moon, the rabbit, and Chinese characters. Nowadays, Chinese communities all over the world make and consume moon cake during the traditional Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.

Eating moon cake somehow symbolizes the reunions of families and couples. The exchanging of gifts during the festival is one of the hospitable custom, and lovers would also give moon cake as present to show their passions. Today, there are hundreds of variety of moon cakes on sale a month before the arrival of Moon Festival.

For Lansing area, you can find a nice selection of beautifully packaged moon cakes at the Oriental Mart, located at 2800 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing, MI -- not far from MSU campus. If you've never had any, give it a try - so you can experience not only its delicious taste and charming looking, but also the cultural and artistic connotation. With various flavors and delicate packaging, moon cakes have become a kind of artwork. You can just also get artistic pleasure, while enjoying them.