The Mid Autumn Moon Festival dates back 3,000 years and is the second-largest celebration in Asia, second only to the Lunar New Year Festival. Celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, the 2023 festival takes place on Friday, September 29. The festival dates back to a time when a successful harvest was critical to a community and it was believed that honouring the moon in the fall would ensure a bountiful harvest.
Festival customs vary but typically focus on celebrating with family, eating special foods, lighting lanterns and offering treats, like mooncakes, and fruit to the moon.
You may have noticed the round, filled mooncakes in display cases at bakeries and on the shelves at Asian supermarkets, it’s the first indication that the Mid Autumn Moon Festival is just around the corner. Mooncakes are traditionally given as gifts and served at family gatherings. The round shape symbolizes unity, and the mooncakes are usually elaborately decorated with patterns illustrating the legends of the festival or honouring the animal of the year of the Chinese zodiac. Traditionally they are stuffed with lotus seed paste, red bean paste, egg yolk or nuts, though in modern times, you can find fillings like chocolate and custard.
Here’s where you can find mooncakes in Surrey:
Maxim’s Bakery | Unit 1060, 10153 King George Boulevard
Saint Germain Bakery | Guildford Centre: Unit 1077, 10355-152nd Street
New Town Bakery | Unit 7, 10302 City Parkway
Sungiven Foods | Unit 1640, 152 Street
T&T Supermarket | Unit 101T, 15277 100 Avenue and Unit 3000, 10153 King George Boulevard
Lucky Supermarket | The Dell Shopping Centre: 10628 King George Boulevard