Mid-Autumn Bake Sale
It’s that time of the year again when people tuck into mooncakes and other delicacies and revel in a tradition stretching back 2,500 years. Mid-Autumn is probably best known for the tradition of eating mooncakes – the Cantonese pastry with an eggy surprise inside. A mooncake’s round shape is supposed to symbolize completeness, which is why they are considered a good accompaniment for family reunions.
They are said to have been created by Ming revolutionaries during the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), who supposedly hid messages inside them as part of their successful attempt to overthrow the Mongolians. Traditionally, a senior family member would cut the mooncake and hand it out to family members.
To the Chinese, Mid-Autumn Festival means family reunion and peace. The festival is celebrated when the moon is believed to be the biggest and fullest. A full moon is a symbol of prosperity, happiness, and family reunion.
BEST CHILDREN’S BOOKS ABOUT THE MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL
For the youngest readers, Grace Lin’s Thanking the Moon offers the best introduction to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Using her trademark economy of words and whimsical illustrations, Lin manages to convey the holiday’s essence, as celebrated by a modern Chinese American family.
Mooncakes by Loretta Seto returns to contemporary times while following a mother and father who explain the Mid-Autumn Festival’s ancient folklore to their daughter. It’s like Thanking the Moon for slightly older children who can understand the full scope of the holiday. This might be your family!
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Ching Yeung Russell’s Moon Festival traces the holiday’s customs back to the small villages in rural China. A group of children smells mooncakes baking in the village’s stores, spot a painting of the mythical beauty, Chang’e and then celebrate with roast pork, fruits and sweets under the silver moonlight.
Lin Yi’s Lantern by Brenda Williams is a great story for older toddlers, say 3+. The story is about Lin Yi, a boy in a small Chinese town who is sent to the market for Mid-Autumn Festival foods by his mother. Though he bargains hard to have enough money left to buy a red rabbit lantern, his best laid plans run off the tracks and he learns a valuable lesson in the process.
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Book reviews from http://www.chineseholidays101.com/best-childrens-books-about-the-mid-autumn-festival/
