Friends of MIP 
  • ABOUT US
    • Friends of MIP
    • Friends of MIP Executive Board
    • MIP Sponsors
    • Contact Us
  • PROGRAM INFO
    • News and Announcements
    • Mandarin Immersion
    • MIP Campuses
    • Enrollment
    • Proficiency Testing
    • FAQ
  • GET INVOLVED
    • Donate
    • Become a Sponsor
    • Executive Board Elections
    • Volunteer
  • EVENTS
    • Annual Gala
    • Annual Community Events >
      • Chinese Poetry Recital
    • MIP in the Media
  • RESOURCES
    • Parent Resources >
      • Adult Mandarin Classes
    • LIPAC
    • MIPAC Meetings

Mid-Autumn Bake Sale

Picture

​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

Picture
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.

Picture
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!
Picture
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.

Picture
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.
Book reviews from http://www.chineseholidays101.com/best-childrens-books-about-the-mid-autumn-festival/
​

Contact Us

Subscribe to the MIP Newsletter

* indicates required

​Marian Bergeson Elementary
Attn: Friends of MIP 
25302 Rancho Niguel Road
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
Friends of MIP is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
EIN: 46-4371590
Parent Facebook pages:
MIP at Bergeson
MIP at Newhart

MIP at Capo Valley High School (CVHS)

​Official Facebook page:
Friends of MIP

Disclaimer:  This website is not approved by the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD). This site is owned and designed by the Friends of Mandarin Immersion Program (MIP). The group makes every effort to provide accurate and up-date information on its website, however, parents should contact CUSD for answers to questions critical to their children's education. 

​This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  

  • ABOUT US
    • Friends of MIP
    • Friends of MIP Executive Board
    • MIP Sponsors
    • Contact Us
  • PROGRAM INFO
    • News and Announcements
    • Mandarin Immersion
    • MIP Campuses
    • Enrollment
    • Proficiency Testing
    • FAQ
  • GET INVOLVED
    • Donate
    • Become a Sponsor
    • Executive Board Elections
    • Volunteer
  • EVENTS
    • Annual Gala
    • Annual Community Events >
      • Chinese Poetry Recital
    • MIP in the Media
  • RESOURCES
    • Parent Resources >
      • Adult Mandarin Classes
    • LIPAC
    • MIPAC Meetings