Moon Festival

Unfortunately, because of the Mid Autumn/ Moon Festival, my A5 wasn't picked up until yesterday, 9/23/13. I thought we were 5 days in to our 10-14 day wait for Travel Approval when actually the wait hadn't even started yet. It was a little disappointing to find out, but it's not the end of the world. We are just very excited now that we are so close to the finish line.

However, this past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with my friend, Nancy, who I have mentioned in previous posts. We enjoyed attending the VU vs. UMASS game on Saturday at the Patriot's stadium. Go Dores!  After the game we drove in to Boston so she could introduce me to China Town. We had an amazing dinner and bopped in to a Chinese bakery after. I wanted to see what the fuss was all about, so we bought a lotus seed moon cake. It was a heavy, dense pastry with a filling that tasted similar to peanut butter. I am not a huge fan of peanut butter, so it was OK. Put some chocolate in it and I am on board!

The Chinese Moon Festival is on the 15th of the 8th lunar month. It's also known as the Mid-autumn Festival. Chinese culture is deeply imbedded in traditional festivals. Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West, the Moon Festival is one of the most important traditional events for the Chinese.
The Moon Festival is full of legendary stories. Legend says that Chang Er flew to the moon, where she has lived ever since. You might see her dancing on the moon during the Moon Festival. The Moon Festival is also an occasion for family reunions. When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon poems. With the full moon, the legend, the family and the poems, you can't help thinking that this is really a perfect world. That is why the Chinese are so fond of the Moon Festival.
The Moon Festival is also a romantic one. A perfect night for the festival is if it is a quiet night without a silk of cloud and with a little mild breeze from the sea. Lovers spend such a romatic night together tasting the delicious moon cake with some wine while watching the full moon. Even for a couple who can't be together, they can still enjoy the night by watching the moon at the same time so it seems that they are together at that hour. A great number of poetry has been devoted to this romantic festival. Hope the Moon Festival will bring you happiness.
The moon cake is the food for the Moon Festival. The Chinese eat the moon cake at night with the full moon in the sky. Here are a few pictures of the typical moon cake.