28/09/2023
MỪNG TẾT TRUNG THU 2023
HISTORY AND CELEBRATION OF THE VIETNAMESE MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL
The Mid-Autumn Festival known as “Tet Trung Thu” in Vietnam is one of the biggest holidays in our country and it is traditionally held on the 15th day of the 8th Lunar month. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most popular festivals in Vietnam, and has been significant to Vietnamese families for many years.
Unlike Chinese legend, the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam is totally different. It is said that originally, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a chance for parents to make up for lost time with their children after harvest season which was usually done by September, (Mid August in the Lunar calendar) and the parents were anxious to spend time with their children and do something special with them, as well as celebrate the harvest, after spending much time working hard and away from the family. It was held under the full moon, which represents fullness and prosperity of life.
Tet Trung Thu in Vietnam is very much like a combination of Halloween and Thanksgiving in Western. Children parade on the streets, while singing and carrying colorful lanterns of different sizes. Some of the popular shapes include fishes, stars, butterflies and a lantern that spins when a candle is inserted, representing the earth circling the sun.
HOW DO VIETNAMESE PEOPLE CELEBRATE THE MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL?
There are various activities held to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam. The main activities include eating moon cake, carrying carp-shaped lanterns, and worshiping the God of Earth.
It’s also a tradition for the Vietnamese to light lanterns during the Mid-Autumn night. A legend went that a carp spirit once killed many during Mid-Autumn night, so that no household dared go outside that night.
Later, a wise man thought of an idea. He made a carp-shaped lantern with a stick in its belly, and then advised people to walk at night with a carp lantern in hand. The carp spirit was terrified by the light from the carp-shaped lanterns, and dared not go out to kill at Mid-Autumn since then.
Now children hold various kinds of paper lanterns and play in the moonlight while eating moon cakes during the evening of Mid-Autumn Day.
In addition, a variety of interesting literary and art activities are also held throughout Vietnam during the Mid-Autumn Festival, as well as offering sacrifices to dragons, dragon boat races, lion dances, and lantern fairs, adding much luster to the festival.
MID-AUTUMN IN VIETNAM TODAY.
Today, the Mid-Autumn Festival is much more like the second children day. The holiday is the most wanted for children to carrying their lantern and follow the lion danes groups.
Nowadays, parents dont spend time helping their children make a lantern as they can buy it at the stores or lantern streets. But parents always would like to show their love for children and teach Vietnam’s love for them. That’s what stays with us until now.
TRUNG THU TẠI CÁC NƯỚC KHÁC
The origin
Although the true origin of Mid-Autumn Festival is not known for certain, history records show that moon-worshipping practices began over 3,000 years ago in the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). But, the festival only became an official celebration in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) when ancient emperors of China would host a feast to make offerings to deities and the moon in celebration of the year’s harvest. After the Tang Dynasty, Mid-Autumn Festival also became a time of the year for the emperor to reward his officials for their hard work and contributions. Over time, it evolved into a festival of many traditions: to give thanks to the moon, pray for better luck, fortune and fertility, and reunite with the family to celebrate and admire the moon in its full glory.
Legends of the moon
There are many versions of the myth and story behind Mid-Autumn Festival, but the most well-known revolves around an archer hero named Hou Yi and his wife Chang’e.
As the legend goes, Hou Yi was rewarded with an elixir of immortality after shooting down nine out of the ten suns that ravaged the land with drought and disaster. However, when Hou Yi’s apprentice, Feng Meng, attempted to steal the elixir, Chang’e stopped him by drinking the elixir herself. After doing so, she became immortal and floated to the moon, never to be seen by her beloved husband again. After learning what had happened to Chang’e, Hou Yi would prepare a feast on this day every year when the moon is believed to be the fullest, in hopes of catching a glimpse of his wife’s shadow.
Time-honoured traditions
Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance
The Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance is one of the most spectacular traditions during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong. Legend has it that in the 1880s, the villagers in Tai Hang successfully chased off plague and evil spirits by parading the village with a straw dragon covered with incense. To commemorate the victory, the villagers would perform a fire dragon dance through the alleys and streets of Tai Hang every year since. The Tai Hang dragon is a massive structure is covered in thousands of incense sticks burning on its body, made out of h**p rope, pearl straw, and ratton and requires hundreds of performers to prop it up. Today, this public event has become one of the most famous annual rituals in Hong Kong and shines as a testament to the city’s rich cultural traditions. This year it will commence from September 28 to 30.
Lanterns
Lanterns are no doubt one of the oldest traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival. For thousands of years, communities would come together during the holiday to write wishes on sky lanterns (the type that floats up into the sky) and light them in honour of the legendary goddess of the moon, Chang’e, hoping that she would bless her worshippers with luck.
Moon gazing
Each year, there are three important days to gaze at the moon among the Chinese community: on the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival when we welcome the moon; on the day of the festival to admire the moon; and on the following day to send off the moon. This annual affair is a popular tradition that still remains in our modern city and every year, families, friends, and couples flock to the best spots in town to admire the beautiful moon.
The noms
Mooncakes
Mooncakes are said to have originated from Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD) revolutionaries as a means to pass covert messages hidden in them. Nowadays, mooncakes symbolise togetherness and harmony, and every year we see shops and restaurants touting mooncakes of all kinds. In fact, there's an overwhelming variety of flavours to choose from these days. The most traditional ones, however, are made with a lotus seed paste with a salted egg yolk centre. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges with families or friends during the night of Mid-Autumn, often served with tea or wine.
Water caltrops ('ling kok')
Known as water caltrops, and sometimes water chestnuts, this lesser-known customary food is only harvested once a year, usually a few weeks before the festival. They are probably one of the weirdest-looking nuts you'll ever see, but don’t judge a nut by its shell as underneath its devilish appearance, is white nutty flesh with a slight crunch that tastes like a mildly sweet combination of roasted chestnuts and potato. While some consider the chestnut to resemble a bat, an auspicious symbol of prosperity because its Chinese character is homophonous with the word 'fok' (which means luck and prosperity in Chinese); others believe that this dish is eaten during the festival because of the word 'ling' in its Chinese name, which sounds like the same ‘ling’ in the Chinese idiom 'chung ming ling lei', meaning smart or clever.
Sweet glutinous rice dumplings.
No Mid-Autumn meal would be complete without serving up some sweet glutinous rice dumplings ('tong yuen'). Not only do they taste delicious and make a great post-feast dessert, but it is also symbolic in reflecting the tradition of families being together during the festival as the character 'yuen', is the same letter used in the Chinese word 'tuen yuen', which means togetherness.
Ai Cũng Có Thể Thông Thạo Tiếng Anh
Ai Cũng Có Thể Thông Thạo Tiếng Anh
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