Vienam's Mid-Autumn Festival (Tết Trung Thu)

Nga Do
Have you ever wondered what Autumn would be like in a tropical country? What would you do on the day the moon appears at its biggest and brightest in a year? How do you imagine we celebrate Childrens, Christmas and Halloween Day all in one day?

Every year, under the shining full moon on the 15th of August the sounds boisterous laughter and upbeat music cheer up the atmosphere from the urban cities to the countryside areas in Vietnam. At this time, tumultuous crowd of people inch their way all around the street or neighborhood to feel the breeze of the Tet Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn Festival) coming to town.

In Vietnam, Tet Trung Thu has become a day of children as the main purpose of celebration is for the children. With the aim of bringing happiness and joy to the kids through traditional customs, It’s also a time when families spend time each other and for children to doted on. The children are very excited with the day because they are given many toys such as: lantern, mask, drum, ect. When the moon rises high, the children will both dance and sing, both watch moon and get cake, candy, fruit. Some places, the children will dance in a lion or unicorn which are made from paper and bamboo.

Enjoying the moonlight with a piece of mooncake and a sip of green tea is an indispensable tradition. Vietnam also shares mooncake as the symbolic dish like other countries. Moon cakes are the specific cakes and are only on this festival. Moon cake, which is made from flavour, meat, egg, dried fruit, pumpkin’s seed, peanut, is so sweet and good tasting. Everyone sounds “How delicious Moon cakes are!” after tasting them and can’t say no with them. Moon cakes symbolise Luck, Happiness, Health and Wealth on the Mid-Autumn day.

However, there is one thing that may distinguish Vietnam from others in this occasion. That is exclusive Star Lantern, which is also a symbol of Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival. It is believed that the twinkling light from the star lantern has a meaning of purity and brightness which are normally found in children. Hence, playing with it is a way of honoring kids’ beauty. From that point of view, playing with star lantern has gradually become an essential toy in Vietnamese culture in Mid-Autumn Festival.

It is made from bamboo sticks and sparkling colored-transparent papers, both of which are cheap materials so that any child can afford one to play with.

Yes, the children are the ones who enjoy the most but annual Tet Trung Thu also ends with the merriness of the adults. That is because the sight of full moon often brings the feeling of complete happiness. The festival has come to an end carrying all their hopes to the moon that night. Despite the great impact of globalization in its culture and the recent transformation of customs, Vietnam still has its own identity of the Tet Trung Thu that nowhere else to be found.

Nowadays, although some of the traditional toys have been replaced by modern toys, the meaning and the performance has been kept and developed. It is certain that the Mid-Autumn day is important and famous for Vietnamese people. Everyone wants to join in it. And it really is a good example of the traditional culture of the Vietnamese. Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam is coming, please arrange a time to visit Vietnam interesting on this occasion.

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