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.

The post Mid-Autumn Festival Games to play with the Family appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

The Mid-Autumn Festival (or Trung Thu) is right around the corner, and it is quite a big deal here in Vietnam. One of the most special things about the Festival is its flagship food, the mooncake. You may have noticed large stalls set up around the city on so many street corners and pavements, selling these mooncakes by the dozens

So what exactly is a mooncake?

THE BASICS

A mooncake is a pastry product, usually consisting of a thin outer crust of pastry, and an inner filling. No one really knows when the mooncake originated, but it has been intrinsically linked to the Mid-Autumn Festival for a very long time, so much so that it has become a central part of the festival experience.

THE CRUST

For a banh deo – bánh dẻo (or sticky mooncake), the outer crust is made using cooked glutinous rice flour, golden syrup, and vanilla. This mixture is actually cooked beforehand, and as such is edible immediately. For a banh nuong  – bánh nướng(baked moon cake), the process is quite different. The crust is made from rice flour, golden syrup, and vegetable oil. This pastry layer is then placed over the filling, and baked until it is nice and brown.

THE FILLINGS

Time flies. Fillings of the cake also got changed. Contrary to the crust, which had changed little over time, the fillings have evolved from simple to sophisticated. The basic fillings include lotus seed paste (nhân hạt sen), green bean paste (nhân đậu xanh), or mixed filling made from caramelized pork fat, Chinese sausages, assorted nuts and other ingredients (nhân thập cẩm). Over the years, manufacturers have caught on trends and created increasingly complex flavors. It is not difficult to find flavors such as roast chicken, green tea and blueberry for sale these days.

Some mooncake makers have even gone further and created new versions that differ greatly from a traditional mooncake. Jell-O moon cakes, ice cream moon cakes, mille feuille (thousand layers) moon cakes are just some of the creations found on the market, putting a new twist on an age-old classic.

ENJOYING A MOON CAKE

Mooncakes are generally sweet. Really sweet. So sweet that you will become sick of it after anything more than a few bites. This is because most mooncakes are made without preservatives, and as such has to be balanced with lots of sugar and oil.

So how do you enjoy a moon cake? With some nice tea, of course. Jasmine tea or chamomile tea are the favorites, but any light tea would pair nicely with mooncakes.

The post Mooncake: Traditional Dessert in Mid-Autumn Festival appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

1. Origin

Since Shang dynasty (10th century B.C), Chinese people have embarked on organizing festivals to celebrate the prosperity of harvests on a full- moon day in August, which became more popular in Tang dynasty. The terminology “Mid-Autumn festival” first appeared under Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BCE) as Zhaoshi queen spent a substantial amount of time and money on celebrating this with plenty of sophisticated ceremonies from August 13th – 17th.

While in Vietnam, since Ly dynasty, the Mid-Autumn affair was officially held in Thang Long – the old name of Vietnam capital along with boat racing, water puppet and lantern parade ceremonies. Written in the oldest myth, this festival was said to be an occasion for farmers to appreciate Dragon god for bringing rain to their crops.

2. Meaning

In China, on these days, families gather to see the moon, and children will involve in many fun games such as carp-shaped lantern parades, lion dance, etc. For adults, full moon festival is considered as a night for poetry, music as well as dating.

Beside some similar activities in China, Vietnamese people celebrate this festival as a gratefulness for moon, sky, and land as they have brought us many presents leading to the wealth of our life. Moreover, during the day, family members also reunite to share stories and memories so that young people could express their gratitude toward their ancestors.

3. Symbol of the Moon

For Chinese people, Mid-Autumn affair always affiliates with the image of women’s parturition. Therein, people said that there was a myth about moon and sun. The moon represents the husband and wife, while the stars are their children. Moon possesses the negative side, depicting female, and its glamorous appearance will be exposed on full moon day in August.

Meanwhile, for Vietnamese people, not only does the moon carry the same meaning as in China but it also symbolizes harvest and living custom. This metaphor commences with the fact that since the first day of establishment, Vietnam has been an agricultural country. However, apart from China, our full moon festival is organized mainly for children.

4. Lantern hanging custom

An indispensable part of Mid-Autumn festival many Asian countries are the colorful lanterns. For Chinese people, normally, lanterns will have red color illustrating luck, happiness and the delightful atmosphere of festivals. Related to moon’s symbol, these lanterns also represent women’s capability of giving birth. They think that the sparkling light from lanterns will dispel bad luck and bring peace, joy, and happiness to their families.

Vietnamese lanterns comprise a variety of shapes, which will be held by children to hang out on full moon night and sing traditional songs together. Since Ly dynasty, handmade lanterns have been created from bamboo, papers or covered by silk. On the lanterns’ bodies, artists usually decorate with typical attributes of Vietnam such as peach blossoms, bamboo, historical sites, etc. In general, they are the embodiment of the well-being, warm-hearted family sentiment.

5. Mooncake

When it comes to Mid-Autumn festival, enjoying mooncakes is really nice. However, we can witness slight difference between these two countries. Chinese moon cakes are quite similar to those of Vietnamese with round shape covering paste bean, green tea, taro, and to make it more appetizing, they also add char siu pork and roasted meat. Additionally, a Chinese character with the meaning of luck and joy will be written on the top of the cake.

In Vietnam, we have two kinds of moon cakes: baked and sticky. Such like the one in China, Vietnamese baked cakes possess a shiny look with the general recipe constituting salted egg, green bean, lotus seeds, etc. Normally, the sticky ones are made in a simpler way but still able to maintain the elegant white color and light flavor of bean or taro.

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