The Mid-Autumn Festival, also called Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is one of the most commonly celebrated festivals all around Asia in countries such as China, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. In China, it is the second most important festival after the Chinese New Year and is highly valued by the Chinese as a full moon symbolizes family, reunion, and happiness. It is a harvest festival, held annually on the 15th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendar when there is a full moon at night.

The Chinese have been celebrating fruitful harvest during autumn since the Shang Dynasty or 1600-1046 BCE; the moon symbolized rejuvenation and was an object of worship in ancient history. In the modern days, the Mid-Autumn Festival offers a warm occasion for family members to reunite, enjoy the beautiful full moon together and eat Mooncakes as a festival tradition.

Many people across Asia grew up celebrating the Moon Festival; it has become a part of their childhoods and memories due to the fun activities that took place as part of the celebration. Besides from having traditional moon cakes, children and adults often played fun festival themed games to celebrate. These are the most common and most exciting games you need to try this year for the most memorable Moon Festival with your loved ones.

PUA TIONG CHIU (DICE GAME)

Pua Tiong Chiu, or Bo Bing, is a traditional Chinese dice game that is often played as part of the celebration of the Mid-autumn Festival. The name has a literal meaning of ‘gambling the mid-autumn’ and is relatively simple to set up and fun at the same time. You will only need six similar dice, a medium-sized porcelain bowl, and a range of prizes for the winners. This game very ideal, as there is an unlimited number of players and anyone can join in the fun. Traditionally, 63 mooncakes with variations in size are prepared as prizes for winning players, however, in the modern-day, the prizes can be anything, from daily necessities to simply cash.

In a group of players, each person has one chance every round to throw the six dice into the bowl, and prizes are determined depending on the dice combination they have got. After the first player has rolled, the dice are passed onto the second player and the process is repeated until there are no prizes remaining. If one or more die, unfortunately, lands outside of the bowl, the player’s results will not be counted. Traditionally, for good luck, a player can throw the dice with one or two hands and shout “Chiong Wan!”.

There is a hierarchy of prizes in the game, starting with the minimum combination which is a six diced combination with only one four facing up. The next highest result is two 4-faces 4. On the next level is a combination of three 4-faced dice. To gain a third place, you need to throw a combination of four of the same number except 4, and for second place a combination of all numbers (from 1 to 6) or three of a number and three of another number.

The 1st place is called ‘Zhuang Yuan’ and can be achieved by a combination of four 4-face or five of any other number. The ultimate throw can beat this and can be achieved from a combination of six 1-face or six 4-face. When a player manages an ultimate throw, he or she will get a special prize which could be better than all of the other prices from 6th to 1st place.  

LANTERN PARADES

Lanterns would be the first thing that comes up to mind when one is speaking of the Mid-autumn Festival; they are a crucial part of the celebration and have grown symbolic of the festival itself over time. In Vietnam, lanterns are very important to the festival- many children would carry brightly lit lanterns and parade under the full moon at night. The lanterns come in all forms; there are lion lanterns, star lanterns, cat lanterns, etc.

Making your own moon festival lanterns is a must, they can come in any shape, colour and form and lantern making is a fun bonding activity with your family and friends. More traditional lanterns are hand-made from the images of important historical figures in Vietnamese history or natural landscapes, while modern lanterns could be crafted into any character desired. Famous examples that are seen every year are Disney characters, Pokémon and Hello Kitty.

Lanterns are symbolic of the wish for sunlight to return after the cold winter and could be made from the simplest of materials such as paper to colourful fabrics. They are traditionally lit with warm candlelight; however, you can find or create modern versions from a small battery powered light bulb. The lantern’s frame and inner candle holder can be made with some glued together wooden sticks; fabric or colourful paper is then secured over the frame while an additional stick is used to hold the lantern.  In Vietnam, you can carry your hand-crafted lanterns and parade the streets at night with friends and family while singing traditional songs and chants in order to celebrate the traditional Vietnamese folk dragon that brings rain to the region for successful rice reaping. It is truly an exciting show.

SHANG T’IEN-T’ANG (ASCENT INTO HEAVEN)

This game is traditionally played among women during twilight. It generally requires a group of girls or women lined up in a full circle. The game has a more mythical and imaginative vibe rather than being practical and active, as the traditional Moon Festival was full of magical meanings in many Chinese districts. As the game starts, a young lady will be selected from the circle to ‘ascend’ into heaven or a celestial realm.

The game starts with the chosen woman covering up her eyes with her hands, while a stick of incense is placed between her fingers. The remaining group of women, also called ‘the chorus’, will each hold a stick of incense and walk around her while chanting a melody until the main player ‘falls asleep’. Traditionally, it is said that this ritual will help the player’s soul ascend into the celestial realms of heaven, and the woman will start describing what she can see in the alternate realm. Despite its mythical motif, this game can be fun for children as the game can be turned into a short play or performance; it can be used to tell traditional stories about the festival or simply to explore children’s rich imagination.

LANTERN RIDDLES

In China, red paper lanterns are hung all over the streets and houses during the Mid-autumn Festival and they often have traditional riddles attached to them or written directly on top. The lantern riddles are also called ‘lantern tigers’, following the Chinese saying that solving a riddle is like fighting a tiger as they were difficult to figure out. They usually contain messages of wisdom and provide children with a great opportunity to practice problem-solving and language skills.

This game is quite simple; all you need is your hand-crafted or store-bought lanterns. You can write the riddles on a thin piece of paper and attach them by a string to the lanterns then each family member can take turns to work out the correct answers or ‘fight the tiger’. Here are some examples of common riddles you could use:

• What’s full of holes but still holds water?
• What do you call a rich fish?
• What building has the most stories?
• Which is faster, hot or cold?
• It’s been around for millions of years, but it’s no more than a month old. What is it?
• They look like twin brothers, both sturdy and tall. They work together and go everywhere together. But they only go near solid food and do not care for soup. Who are they?
• He devotes his life to looking after the house. His mate always follows when the master goes out. A gentleman sees him and goes away. A villain sees him and it spells bad luck. Who is he?
• Use the 10 letters acdehijlnp to spell out the names of four countries. Each name must be five letters long, and the four countries must be neighbors.

MAKING ‘TÒ HE’ (TOY FIGURINES)

This Vietnamese traditional children’s toy is made from glutinous rice powder which is dyed in different colors with food coloring. They are often sold on the streets by craftsmen and have become an important part of the Moon Festival celebration as characters from the Festival’s folktales are often made into figurines and commonly sold to children. Making ‘tò he’ is not only very simple but also an enjoyable activity to do with your family and friends to celebrate the Moon Festival. The glutinous rice powder is mixed with some water to create clay or dough-like consistency. It is a great alternative to clay or Play-Doh as the rice powder dough is completely edible, making the products safe for use. The plain dough can be separated into smaller parts; each of the smaller dough then can be dyed in any colour desired and can be used to create a variety of different shapes.

Traditionally, seven basic colours are used: green, blue, red, purple, white, yellow, and black. Another key material you will need is a bamboo stick or bamboo skewer which will be used to secure the dough on top during the figurine creation process. Let your creativity flow and make unique creations that are your own. The forms of ‘tò he’ can be flowers, animals, cartoon characters, or characters from folk stories such as the infamous ‘Tôn Ngộ Không’, the Monkey King in Journey to the West.