Until now, the true origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is still a controversial topic for many scholars. Some people believe that this is a trace of the influence of Chinese culture, while others assert that this is a traditional festival originating from the wet rice civilization of Dai Viet.
According to many studies, the image of the full moon festival has appeared on the Ngoc Lu bronze drum and the moon-watching festival has long been an important holiday of the year for Vietnamese people. This is not only an occasion for family reunion, expressing love and respect for ancestors, grandparents, and relatives, but also a special holiday for children with very special gifts and games.
Depending on each region, with different characteristics of climate, geography, and seasonal products, the Mid-Autumn Festival trays of the 3 regions are different, but all convey extremely pure wishes for luck, prosperity, peace, and fertility of the Vietnamese people.
Northern Mid-Autumn Festival Tray
The North is where people can feel the most obvious change in climate. When the earth and sky turn to autumn, the sky seems bluer, clearer, the sun is no longer harsh but gentle, golden, the wind is also gentle and cool.
The Northern Mid-Autumn Festival has an elegant and sophisticated look, associated with bountiful harvests and fragrant flowers and sweet fruits which are specialties of the Northern autumn such as fragrant green rice, ripe red persimmons...
The Mid-Autumn Festival is prepared by Northern people from the beginning of August. At that time, the streets will be filled with cakes, lanterns of all colors. Because this is a children's festival, the Northern moon-viewing tray is decorated quite eye-catching with funny shapes such as stuffed dogs made from grapefruit segments, paper doctors and animals made from fruits and colored paper... The Mid-Autumn Festival tray is now much simpler than before, however, it still cannot lack fruits such as ripe yellow bananas, red persimmons symbolizing hope, custard apples carrying the wish for fertility, grapefruits bringing good luck and pomegranates containing sweet luck... In general, a full and meaningful Mid-Autumn Festival tray according to the concept of Northern people must meet the requirements: have green fruits, ripe fruits, enough five colors, five flavors symbolizing the balance of yin and yang, the universe.
In addition, in the Northern Mid-Autumn Festival tray, there cannot be a lack of moon cakes and round and square shaped cakes symbolizing heaven and earth or shaped like pigs, carps... enjoyed with lotus scented tea.
During these days, in the main streets of Hanoi such as Hang Ma, Luong Van Can, Hang Ngang - Hang Dao, there are often competitions to display offerings to choose the most beautiful and meaningful dishes for the full moon festival.
Mid-Autumn Festival tray in Central Vietnam
Unlike the North, which is blessed by nature, the climate in the Central region is quite harsh and does not have many fruits, so the Mid-Autumn Festival tray in the Central region is quite simple and not too formal.
On the occasion of Mid-Autumn Festival, people in the Central region often offer whatever they have, mainly with the sincerity to pay respect to their ancestors. However, the full moon of the 8th lunar month in the Central region does not become simple, on the contrary, this becomes an occasion for fun with many unique games and performances.
The most special places to hold the August full moon festival in the Central region are Hue and Hoi An. Here, there are many exciting activities, attracting a large number of tourists to attend such as: lion dance; releasing flower lanterns on the Perfume River, Hoai River; lantern festival... Especially, on the night of the August full moon, the ancient capital of Hue and the ancient town of Hoi An are often lit up by hundreds of colorful, sparkling and magical lanterns.
Mid-Autumn Festival tray in the South
As a land with a temperate climate, alternating rain and sunshine and a fertile Mekong Delta with rich orchards, the South has a rich variety of fruits. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival tray of Southern people, in addition to traditional moon cakes, cannot lack 5 types of fruit: custard apple, fig, coconut, papaya, mango with the wish of "enough prosperity". In addition, the tray of Southern people also has a base of 3 pineapples to show stability, the wish for the family to have many children and grandchildren.
Although quite open-minded and generous in their lifestyle, many Southerners also have taboos, such as not having fruits like bananas, pears, oranges, or tangerines on their offerings on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.
The South is also home to a large Chinese population, so the Mid-Autumn Festival here is also very special. In Chinese neighborhoods, the full moon festival is celebrated very enthusiastically with many activities such as: lion and dragon dances, lantern displays...
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Luong Nhu Hoc lantern district (District 5, Ho Chi Minh City) becomes a destination attracting many tourists with diverse cultural colors.
