Joanna James
As one of the most important holidays in the Chinese calendar, there is a lot of tradition and meaning that is imbued into each part of the celebration that takes place during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
For thousands of years, the people of China have revered the moon as an object of beauty and perfection. The moon has over time become a symbol for all things holy, pure and noble. This almost fanatical regard for this celestial body has given rise to swathes of art, literature and poems that sing the praise of the moon and its innate beauty.
One of the most emblematic dishes that rise in popularity during the Mid-Autumn Festival is the delicious treat that is a Mooncake.
This sweet dessert has had a warmly regarded place in Chinese culture and this adoration has lasted to this day. Available in a variety of flavours such as the traditional lotus root, melon seed as well as fruit, there are now some fillings that are certainly more suited to a modern-day palate.
What is fascinating is that based on that typically affordable treat, when coupled with the holidays and the packaging, can range from a few dozen yuan to several thousand yuan, making them quite luxurious items gifted between well to do parties in China.
The dawn of the Mid-Autumn Festival means that there are going to be millions of travellers exploring the nation or simply heading home for the holidays to spend time with their loved ones.
It is during this time that Xi An China hotels such as the Grand Park Xian experience a major rise in traffic and this stands true across the entire nation.
During this holiday period, the volumes of travellers are only surpassed by the masses that move during the Spring Festival given the fact this a time where a 3-day holiday is granted to the people.
If you would much rather avoid this major traffic, then it best to plan around this holiday altogether!
While in many nations, the typical holiday routine is to write up cards or go through your contact list to make a series of calls to loved ones, the Chinese culture takes a different approach.
In Chinese culture, during the holiday period, the main way of greeting people is through a WeChat envelope. This is essentially an online transfer of money using the popular social media platform used in China. This is an extremely popular tradition that once used physical envelopes but as the decades have flown by, the use of smartphones enables the digital transfer of money to take place.
These digital envelopes are typically shared with a little message and they also make efforts to ensure that the envelopes contain lucky letters such as '666' or '888' each signifying that you will either have a good year or you will either make a lot of money this year.
One of the hardest things to organize will be the grand family get together. This means ensuring that everyone in the family has a seat at a dinner table at a good restaurant to celebrate this special holiday. The catch is that you will likely have to book a table several months in advance to be successful!
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