We have
been celebrating the Moon Festival, or Mid-Autumn Festival in Taipei. One of
the oldest customs is Shang Yue or Full Moon Admiring, 賞月. It is based on
the traditional saying “At the mid-autumn night, the moon becomes especially
bright.” (月到中秋分外明). So we spent much of the evening just watching the beautiful full moon and talking with one another. It was a clear and crisp night and we could hear fireworks in the background and Taipei 101 kept changing colors. In old times, when it was hard to travel long distances, the Moon
Festival was selected as the time when family members could return to their
homes. Hence, the full moon is said to represent happiness from family
gatherings, so the Moon Festival is also known as the Tuan Yuan Festival
(family reunion,團圓) in Taiwan. We were fortunate to receive many different kinds of
delicious moon cakes from our friends here. These cakes symbolize warm family reunions
and happy wishes for the future. My favorite mooncakes are the ones with two eggs. I was also given a beautifully wrapped mooncake filled with dates, fruit,
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