Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations in Canada: All Access

Mid-autumn festival, also known as Moon Festival, or Zhong Qiu Festival, is one of the biggest and most important festivals in the Chinese culture. This festival has been documented to exist since as early as roughly 3,000 years before 2022! 

This festival is not only a lot of fun, but also holds a special place in Chinese culture, and the hearts of the Chinese communities all around the world. Mid-autumn festival in Canada 2022 is especially an occasion you should celebrate!

Mid-Autumn Festival in Canada

What Happens During the Mid-Autumn Festival?

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional Chinese holiday. At this festival, people gather with their families and friends. They enjoy a massive feast, eat mooncakes, light lanterns, and view the moon. Some also pray for a good year’s harvest, or observe the tides caused by the moon. 

But above all else, having a fun and peaceful reunion with family and friends is the biggest and most significant part of celebrating the Mid-Autumn festival. 

When is the Mid-Autumn Festival 2022 in Canada?

Like many Chinese traditional festivals and holidays, the date for the Mid-autumn festival is dependent on the Chinese lunar calendar. The mid-autumn festival takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month, which usually falls between September and early October on the Gregorian calendar.

For the year 2022, the mid-autumn festival takes place on September 10th in Canada’s time. 

Why is the Mid-autumn Festival Celebrated?

As mentioned before, the mid-autumn festival is regarded by many to be one of the most important Chinese traditional festivals. In fact, many consider it the second most important cultural occasion, with the first being the Chinese Lunar New Year. 

Reunion of Families and Friends

One important element of the Mid-autumn festival is the reunion of families. A key part of the festival celebration is to get together as a family and have a great and happy time together. 

You may have noticed that the mid-autumn festival always happens on a full moon, which is why mooncakes are a cultural food associated with this festival. The perfectly full moon symbolizes wholeness, completeness, and unity. From the festival’s perspective, this symbolizes families being full, as in everyone being present and together. 

Therefore, being together and celebrating in the joyful and festive atmosphere is the spirit of the festival. And that’s why the mid-autumn festival is such an important and happy cultural occasion. It reflects the important cultural value amongst Chinese families and friends. 

A Festival for Good Luck

A full moon is also a token of fortune, prosperity and good luck. In the Mid-autumn festival, common traditional activities include viewing the beautiful full moon, lighting lanterns, and eating mooncakes. 

The brightness and perfect roundness of the full moon during the Mid-Autumn festival provides a deeply pleasing and soothing aesthetic. There are also classic Chinese mythologies surrounding the full moon during the Mid-Autumn festival, such as the story of Chang’e, the moon deity. In essence, a full moon is a commonly-found symbol in Chinese culture. 

The red lanterns are a symbol of good luck and prosperity. They also greatly enhance the celebratory atmosphere due to their aesthetic and festive connotations in Chinese culture. But the most well-known part of the festival would be the mooncakes. 

Mooncake for Mid-Autumn Festival

Mooncakes are a kind of baked pastry with a flavourful filling. The filings have a very wide variety, such as fruit, red bean paste, kernel seeds, salted egg yolk, and sometimes even meat. Mooncakes are known for their roundness, and often have carefully carved-out patterns on the top surface and beautiful edges that resemble flower petals.

The design of Mooncakes is meant to emulate the full moon in the Mid-Autumn festival and to add in a few touches for good fortune. More than a delicious food item, the mooncake is an iconic cultural cuisine.

Mid-Autumn Festival in Canada: How is it Celebrated?

So, how is the mid-autumn festival celebrated in Canada? What is the Mid-Autumn festival in Canada like?

Well, the Chinese communities usually spend the holiday in similar ways as they would in China: reunion with families and friends, having dinner together, and enjoying fun times together. For them, the only thing that’s changed is the location. The spirit, the atmosphere, and the traditions stay the same here in Canada.

Furthermore, for the Mid-Autumn Festival in Canada 2022, there are also many public events for mid-autumn festival celebrations throughout the country, especially in Toronto.  Some examples include the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival at the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market, the Full Moon Mid-Autumn Festival at the Grand Bizarre in Toronto, and many more. Such events feature many traditions, such as lighting red lanterns, moon gazing, and, of course, many delicious mooncakes!

But for many people, simply viewing the beautiful full moon, and enjoying a night with peace and happiness with your friends and families is sufficient for a celebration! 

As mentioned before, the mid-autumn festival has been one of the most significant cultural events in China. Now, as the Chinese communities in Canada have been growing, the Mid-Autumn festival is also gaining cultural prominence and prevalence in Canada, too. 

Canada is a land of multiculturalism. In fact, in the later half of August we witnessed two multicultural festivals in Toronto, a key cultural hub of Canada. But the mid-autumn festival is much bigger than the two. It is a celebratory festival that has lasted for thousands of years and holds much more cultural weight in the hearts of communities. Therefore, this Mid-Autumn festival should be celebrated with not just fun, but with happiness that such a crucial piece of Chinese culture is present here in Canada. After all, it is yet another testament to Canadian multiculturalism.

Mid-Autumn Festival in Canada

FAQs

  • Why is it called Mid-Autumn festival?
    The festival is called “Mid-Autumn” festival because, in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, the festival takes place in autumn. 
  • What Day is the Mid-Autumn festival?
    The day of the Mid-Autumn festival is the 15th day of the 8th month on Chinese Lunar calendar, which is September 10th on the Gregorian calendar for 2022 (the specific date changes each year on the Gregorian calendar).
  • How long is the Mid-Autumn festival?
    Mid-Autumn festival is a day-long celebratory event.
  • What to do at Mid-Autumn festival?
    Common festival activities include: reunion with family and friends, viewing the full moon, eating mooncakes, lighting lanterns, praying for good luck, etc.
  • Which countries celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival?
    Mid-Autumn festival is a traditional cultural holiday celebrated in China, but countries like South Korea and Canada also celebrate it.
  • Where is Mid-Autumn festival celebrated?
    The Mid-Autumn festival can be celebrated at home or at festive events.
  • Why Do We Celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival?
    We celebrate it as a cultural tradition, but also to be with families and friends, and to hope for good fortune.
  • Where to go for Mid Autumn festival?
    Mid-Autumn festival celebrations can happen at a family member’s house, a friend’s house, or at a social event that celebrates the Mid-Autumn festival.
  • What happens at the Mid-Autumn festival?
    The Mid-Autumn festival always happen on a full moon, and people reunite with families and friends to have a joyful and peaceful celebration.

4 Comments

  • Namrata

    Thanks for posting this. I never knew about this festival before. It was fun to read and very informative.

  • Parry

    Thanks for sharing the great content on Mid Autumn Festival Celebrations. 🙂

  • Gill

    Nicely written! Mid-autumn festival has always been a ton of fun! Can’t wait for this year!

  • Jaideep

    Very informative blog. I didn’t know these things about mid autumn festival.

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