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    Mid-Autumn Festival

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    Anh Nguyễn
    The document summarizes the origins and traditions of Tết Trung Thu, the Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival. It discusses the legend of a man named Cuội who floated to the moon on a magical tree, and how children parade lanterns to help light his way back to earth. It also notes how the harvest celebration is an important part of Tết Trung Thu for many Vietnamese farmers. In the weeks before the festival, preparations like lion dancing practices and mooncake stalls popping up take place. On the night of the full moon, children carry lanterns in processions and an Earth God dancer entertains crowds before families feast on mooncakes under the moonlight. Lion

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    Mid-Autumn Festival

    Uploaded by

    Anh Nguyễn
    19 views2 pages
    The document summarizes the origins and traditions of Tết Trung Thu, the Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival. It discusses the legend of a man named Cuội who floated to the moon on a magical tree, and how children parade lanterns to help light his way back to earth. It also notes how the harvest celebration is an important part of Tết Trung Thu for many Vietnamese farmers. In the weeks before the festival, preparations like lion dancing practices and mooncake stalls popping up take place. On the night of the full moon, children carry lanterns in processions and an Earth God dancer entertains crowds before families feast on mooncakes under the moonlight. Lion

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    Mid-autumn Festival

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    The document summarizes the origins and traditions of Tết Trung Thu, the Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival. It discusses the legend of a man named Cuội who floated to the moon on a magical tree, and how children parade lanterns to help light his way back to earth. It also notes how the harvest celebration is an important part of Tết Trung Thu for many Vietnamese farmers. In the weeks before the festival, preparations like lion dancing practices and mooncake stalls popping up take place. On the night of the full moon, children carry lanterns in processions and an Earth God dancer entertains crowds before families feast on mooncakes under the moonlight. Lion

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    19 views2 pages

    Mid-Autumn Festival

    Uploaded by

    Anh Nguyễn
    The document summarizes the origins and traditions of Tết Trung Thu, the Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival. It discusses the legend of a man named Cuội who floated to the moon on a magical tree, and how children parade lanterns to help light his way back to earth. It also notes how the harvest celebration is an important part of Tết Trung Thu for many Vietnamese farmers. In the weeks before the festival, preparations like lion dancing practices and mooncake stalls popping up take place. On the night of the full moon, children carry lanterns in processions and an Earth God dancer entertains crowds before families feast on mooncakes under the moonlight. Lion

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    Origins of Tết Trung Thu

    While the Mid-autumn Festival originated in China and is celebrated in many Asian
    countries, the Vietnamese version has its own traditions and legends. Our best-known
    tale is about a man named Cuội who hung on to a magical banyan tree as it floated up
    to the moon. We say that if you look closely at the full moon, you can see the shadow of
    a man sitting under a tree. Children parade lanterns in the streets the night of Mid-
    autumn Festival to help light the way to earth for Cuội from the moon.

    The celebration of the harvest is an important part of Tết Trung Thu, as many
    Vietnamese live in rural areas and work as farmers. Tết Trung Thu marks a joyous
    occasion when the work is finished and there’s time to spend with loved ones.

    Preparations begin

    In the weeks before Tết Trung Thu, you will see and hear groups of lion dancers
    practicing on the streets. Mooncake stalls appear on every other corner, pop-ups with
    elaborately decorated boxes filled with a variety of mystery cakes and fillings. City
    districts team up with preparations of toys, lanterns and colourful masks in anticipation.
    The most popular Trung Thu lantern is a star made with red cellophane. You’ll see
    these lanterns for sale on streets all over Vietnam in the days leading up to the festival.

    Mooncake madness

    All across Vietnam, families welcome Tết Trung Thu by placing a five-fruit tray and
    cakes on our ancestral altar. We offer the food to our ancestors and worship,
    before feasting on mooncakes -- usually outside under the light of the moon. Round or
    square, these cakes are moulded with elaborate details of flowers, carp and geometric
    patterns.
    The two most common types are bánh dẻo (soft, sticky cakes with a mochi-texture) and
    bánh nướng (baked cakes with a thick wheat crust). Mooncakes in Vietnam come in a
    seemingly infinite variety of flavours, both sweet and savoury.
    Moonlit celebrations
    On the night of the full moon, children bearing brightly coloured lanterns form raucous
    processions and tour their neighbourhoods singing songs. You will see a male dancer
    wearing a round happy-faced mask that symbolises the moon. He urges the lion
    dancers on and delights the crowd with his comical moves. This is the Earth God, Ông
    Địa, who represents the fullness of the earth and reminds onlookers to give thanks for
    its bounty. Ông Địa always brings joy and puts a smile on every Vietnamese child's
    face. 

    Lion dancing
    Lion dancing or múa lân is an essential element of the Mid-autumn festivities. Groups of
    children gather, each carrying a red lantern. Everyone sings along to the cheerful Mid-
    autumn Festival songs memorized since childhood. Excitement peaks when drumbeats
    ring out from down the dark street. The smaller kids shrink back and the older ones run
    forward as a mythical lion bursts into their courtyard, its giant head and sinuous body
    borne by a team of acrobatic dancers.

    With its gaping mouth and protruding eyes, the lion is both comical and formidable. The
    dancers lunge closer to the crowd, making the kids scream and laugh at their antics.
    Under the light of the full moon, the lion’s red sequined body sparkles as it dances. For
    Vietnamese children, not much else beats this spectacular performance on the night of
    Trung Thu. 

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