The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival has been celebrating the miracle of the moon for 3,000 years, it started in ancient China and spread to all parts of the world. It is customary to call the period the Moon Festival, which is how the characteristic cake of the tradition became the moon cake, which visitors can make on September 3 at the Kölcsey Center in Debrecen at the next event of the ALL-IN Debrecen International Cultural Days.
The harvest festival:
The event was first documented thousands of years ago, when the celebrants offered gifts of food and drink to the moon goddess, thanking them for the abundant harvest. The harvest festival is celebrated everywhere in the world in some form, where they harvest and harvest, it is no different in our country, in Hungary we celebrate it with harvest parties, while in China they give thanks for the rich harvest at the mystical moon festival.
Mooncake making workshop:
The traditional mooncake is a uniquely beautifully crafted sweet. The cookies are decorated with Chinese writing and festive motifs on the outside, their shape refers to the moon, while inside there is sweet, concentrated bean paste, which symbolizes abundance. Although this sweet is traditionally made only once a year, it can be kept for a long time thanks to the sugar mixed into the dough. Celebrants present mooncakes to each other as a sign of love, care and appreciation, according to custom.
Lantern making:
According to Chinese tradition, they celebrate with a dragon dance on this day, and celebrants decorate their homes with lantern decorations. In China, families decorate their own houses, gardens and in many places even the streets with lanterns. Moreover, according to the belief, the higher the illuminated lantern is, the more luck its light brings to the home.
On Sunday, September 3, the public can learn about a magical tradition of the Far East in Debrecen.
Program:
14:00 Opening
14:20-18:00 Mooncake-making workshop
Participation in the program is free, but prior registration is required. You can apply by sending a message to allindebrecen@gmail.com.
14:30-18:00 – Tea tastings and Chinese lantern making, photo exhibition about the city of Suzhou, and
Hourly instrument, dance and Hanfu dress demonstrations await visitors
The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is organized by the China Cultural Center, the Confucius Institute of the University of Debrecen and ALL-IN Debrecen.
(Főnix Rendezvényszervező Közhasznú Nonprofit Kft.)
