Almost as popular as the New Year Festival is the Moon Festival. It has been celebrated for over 3000 years by the Chinese and other Asians every year on the 15th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendars That’s equivalent to late September or early October in our Gregorian Calendar. It is celebrated by some as a harvest offering, or a time for family reunion, for others it is a form of moon worship.

This year the Moon Festival is on Monday October 6th. In preparation for this festival, my young friend Ev Dahl came to help me make moon cakes. The soft outer dough is made of eggs,sugar, melted butter and flour with baking powder. We stuff the flattened dough with bits of dates, apricot, cocoanut flakes, raisins, and walnuts. Place the closed cake into a press and VOILA, out comes a moon cake with a design ready to be coated and baked!

In the evening of the festival, we will look at the full moon, think of our family members near and far, write a poem and then drink a little wine as we eat the moon cake!