There was an inch or two of rain last night from the typhoon, but nothing the roads and streets couldn’t handle.
Today marks the start of this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival* – also known as the Moon Festival or in Chinese Zhongqiujie (traditional Chinese: 中秋節) or in Vietnamese “Tết Trung Thu” , is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese people. It dates back over 3,000 years to moon worship in China’s Shang Dynasty. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals.
*an odd name given that it’s the start of autumn
Mooncakes (not the same as moon pies) are Chinese bakery products traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching and moon cakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy on this occasion. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival.
Typical mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 4-5 cm thick. A thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea. [Information from Wikipedia].
I am off to Bangkok tonight on a red-eye flight .. one night in Bangkok and the world’s your oyster! says the 1984 song sung by Murray Head. So I will report back if that’s the case!