Happy Mid Autumn Festival 2016

Growing up, I remember excitedly marching around holding lanterns with my sisters while my parents sang traditional songs every Tet Trung Thu (Mid Autumn Festival). We would fight over who would get to eat the yolks from the moon cakes and have family and friends over for a big dinner. 

[via Thousand Skies]

Tomorrow night the harvest moon will be shining in it's full glory and we are planning to celebrate with a family dinner, paper lanterns and moon cakes! Passing these cultural traditions on to Parker makes my heart happy. Here are some ways you can celebrate with your kids.

*Watch this reading of the book Mooncakes by Loretta Seto which tells of the legend of Chang-E.

*Purchase mooncakes from your local Asian grocery store or bakery. If you're in San Diego, Ranch 99, 85 Degrees, Paris Baguette or Thuan Phat all carry mooncakes. Serve your mooncakes with a pot of hot green tea.

*Make your own paper lanterns using this easy tutorial from Handmade Charlotte.

[Photo credit Handmade Charlotte]

Mid Autumn Moon Festival

This past weekend, we got together with my family to pray for my grandma on the anniversary of her death and to celebrate Tet Trung Thu (Autumn Moon Festival). I have fond memories of lighting paper lanterns and eating mooncake as a kid and I wanted to pass that tradition on the Parker so we stopped by Van's bakery before heading to my parents to pick up some mooncake. At about 1000 calories a piece, these delicious little cakes are usually made with red bean or lotus seed paste and salted egg yolks. The more egg yolks, the more expensive the price of the mooncake but it's all worth it becuase the egg is the best part! We would fight over it when we were little and gobble up our mooncake slices with glee. 

 

If you are interested in taking your little ones to celebrate the Mid Autumn Moon Festival, head downtown this Saturday to the Chuang Garden at the San Diego Chinese Historical Musuem from 1-3 PM. There will be story telling, Chinese arts and crafts, calligraphy demonstrations and a chance for kids to make their own mooncakes!

 

Family Moon Festival

Saturday, September 21, 2013

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

$4 admission for adults/Free for kids under 12 and members

 

 

[Exploring the texture of his first mooncake while sitting in my dad's lap]

 

[Van's bakery is always our go-to bakery for birthday cakes and other sweet treats]

 

[It's become a tradition to take a photo with anyone who falls asleep at a family get together! Haha sorry Mymy!]

 

 

[Don't drop that mooncake, Parker! That's a $8 cake.]

[Parker napping with my mom. My parents don't get to spend that much time with him so they were happy to help babysit so Tuan and I could go on our date night.]