The Mid-autumn Festival, or Tet Trung Thu as it is known in Viet Nam, is a wonderful and ancient festival that revolves around children.

The festival takes place on the 15^th day of the 8^th lunar month, which this year falls on 27 September.

Origins

The lantern procession

The festival dates back 15 - 20,000 years in Southeast Asia, and is traditionally held on the 15^th day of the 8^th lunar month.  Looking at the moon on this day, you will see that its orbit is at its lowest angle to the horizon, making the moon appear brighter and larger than at any other time in the year.  Thus, there came into being a festival in honour of the beautiful full moon.

Celebration on animated streets

In the evening of the 15^th day of the 8^th lunar month, streets are filled with people buying festival items and strolling around.  Many assorted paper lanterns, cakes, candies, and toy animals made of rice dough are displayed in local markets, along with the dragon heads and faces of the Earth God made of paper. 

Moon cakes

Children parade on the streets, singing and carrying colourful lanterns of different sizes and shapes such as fish, stars, and butterflies.  This festival is mostly geared to children, and to help children get ready for the festival, parents assist them in making lanterns and costumes for the lantern procession and discuss the history and culture of Viet Nam with them. 

Lion dances and moon cakes

The most important activity before and during the festival is lion dancing.  Both non-professional and professional children's groups perform dances on the streets or outside houses.  If accepted by the host, ‘the lion’ will go in and start dancing to bring good luck.

Lion dancing

Apart from the lion dance, it is customary to offer ‘Banh Trung Thu’ (moon cakes) which traditionally are very rich in taste.  The cakes are filled with lotus seeds, ground beans and orange peel, and they have a bright yoke in the centre to represent the moon.  'Banh deo' is the white cake which is made of sticky rice and filled with a sweet mixture of lotus seeds, pumpkin seeds or green beans.  'Banh nuong' is a brown cake and has a salty taste with a mixture of eggs, pork fat, fried onions, peanuts and lemon leaves inside.  Both can be round or square in shape.

(Source: Danang Today/vietnam-beauty.com)