Moon Festival - Mid Autumn Festival
Chinese families all across the Mauritius celebrates The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival. This holiday celebrates the date that parallels the autumn and spring Equinoxes of the solar calendar, when the moon is supposedly at its fullest and roundest.
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What makes festivals around the world so wonderful? Why, an abundance of fantastic food, ofcourse! And the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is no exception! Every year on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, when the moon looks the biggest all year, families in China and in Chinese communities around the world get together to celebrate the harvest and family togetherness. Join us this year in celebrating the earth's bounty: go shopping in Chinatown for some ofthese traditional Mid-Autumn foods and then feast with your family and friends!
The Harvest Moon or Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhong Qiu Jie) is a day of family reunions much like a Western Thanksgiving. Chinese people believe that on that day, the moon is the roundest and brightest signaling a time of completeness and abundance. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, children are delighted to stay up past midnight, parading multi-colored lanterns into the wee hours as families take to the streets to moon-gaze.
During Mid Autumn festival, there are activities in parks such as Chinese music and dance, folk songs and golden oldies, theatrical performances, nostalgic games, lantern quiz, fortune-telling and lantern display. It is also a romantic night for lovers, who sit holding hands on hilltops, riverbanks and park benches, captivated by the brightest moon of the year!