" The Moving Moon Went Up The Sky
And Nowhere Did Abide
Softly She Was Going Up
And A Star Or Two Beside "
2019
Come And Enjoy This Wonderful Festival
About This Event
The event will be held for two days during 14th and 15th of September in Manchester Chinatown. The location we have chosen for this event will be in NCP car park situated in the centre of Chinatown .
Free Entry
Food & Drink
-
Festive Market
-
Workshop
This event will bring together the cultural and atmosphere of the Moon Festival which is a National celebration in China. During the 2 day celebrations, participants will be able to emerse themselves in the colourful displays of lanterns and a variety of foods related to this event.
We will also be hosting moon cake making activities along with many other activities to bring this occasion alive right in the heart of Manchester.
We hope to welcome you to this event and let us give you a glimpse of this Festivity.
>> Click Here For More Information About Our Culture Workshop Available For You To Attend <<
Date:
14/09/2019 - 15/09/2019
Time:
12:00 p.m. - 20:00 p.m.
A Traditional Chinese Festival
What Is Moon Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a harvest festival celebrated notably by the Chinese People.
The festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar with full moon at night, corresponding to late September to early October of the Gregorian calendar with a full moon at night.
The festival celebrates three fundamental concepts that are closely connected:
- Gathering, such as family and friends coming together, or harvesting crops for the festival. It's said the moon is the brightest and roundest on this day which means family reunion. Consequently, this is the main reason why the festival is thought to be important.
- Thanksgiving, to give thanks for the harvest, or for harmonious unions
- Praying (asking for conceptual or material satisfaction), such as for babies, a spouse, beauty, longevity, or for a good future
Traditions and myths surrounding the festival are formed around these concepts, although traditions have changed over time due to changes in technology, science, economy, culture, and religion.It's about well being together.
Western vs Eastern Bakery
Bread, cakes and pastries are baked and eaten all over the world. Every region has its own favourites. And with travel getting easier and people getting more and more eager to discover new textures and flavours, local specialities are gaining popularity. This might explain the rise of East Asian bakeries.Discovering new flavours and ingredientsPeople all over the world are continuously on the lookout for new flavours. They want to be surprised. Asia offers a lot of unknown, exotic ingredients and flavours. They’re processed in baked goods, but also in desserts. Some have become quite common, like pandan, black sesame, salted egg yolk and lychee. Other Asian ingredients have recently become more popular, like matcha green tea, taro root, yuzu citrus, the purple sweet potato ube and the nutty adzuki red bean. Of course, there are Asian ingredients quite unknown in the Western world, like Sudachi, Sakura or Durian. Critics dismiss these ingredients as too exotic, but foodies are more than happy to discover this whole new world of flavours, textures and experiences. Eastern or western?East Asian bakeries can be found in almost every Chinatown in the world. In Asia, they are not seen as Asian bakeries, however, they’re referred to as Western bakeries. Influenced by the British who once colonised Hong Kong, Western bread specialities marched into Asia. The offer was altered to please the Asian palate: light and not too sweet. Sugar was decreased, butter reduced, crisp baguettes turned into soft buns and rich cakes and pastries were lightened. Western classics turned into – often more healthy − Asian variants. Asian classicsMost East Asian bakeries offer a variety of sweet and savoury baked or steamed bread buns, with varied fillings and toppings. When it comes to pastries, you’ll find decorated sponge cakes, egg tarts, beautiful layer cakes, pineapple buns (without pineapple) and probably coconut buns, tuna buns, moon cakes, fried sesame balls, almond cookies and many other surprising treats. You can actually find different types of bread products on:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_bakery_productsThe whole article is from https://www.puratos.com/blog/the-growing-popularity-of-east-asian-bakeries The photos are from On the Full Moon FestivalOne of our event sponsor (Wong Wong Bakery & Café) actually offers a wide range of Asian bakery in Manchester and they are having a food stall on the Full Moon Festival! It would be a great chance for you to actually taste the difference between the western bakery and eastern bakery!Website: http://www.wongwongbakery.com/Also, they are running MFDF AWARDS 2019. It would be appreciated if you can vote them through the link: http://foodanddrinkfestival.com/awards/
Things you can do on a Full Moon
On a full moon back from history, the
perspective can be very different between the East and the West.
In the Western world, the legend -
werewolves will come out on a full moon and may cause some deaths.
However, in the Eastern world, the full moon is the symbol of family union. Nowadays,
people celebrate the full moon in some part of the world.
So what can you do on a full moon? Some suggestions
are actually very interesting and can definitely try out:
1.
Go Crazy – celebrating
A full moon is a
great excuse for you to chill and join a wonderful celebration. More than 5
countries in Asia celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival every year and with up to
30,000 people, the most well-known full moon party is in Koh Phangan, Thailand.
2.
Get your hair done
To be honest,
not sure how this fits into a full moon day from a science point of view. But I
suppose if you are attending a celebration/party, you may want to get the hair
done.
(how a full moon
affect your hair, read here: https://starsignstyle.com/moon-beauty-lunar-hair-care)
3.
Absorb the moonlight
Skin may be more
absorbent during the phase of the lunar cycle. The Alila hotel in Bali offers
very special moonlit treatments in an outdoor spa tent, harnessing every drop
of lunar energy available!
So if you are
out for a celebration, you are already under the moonlight.
Above are just suggestions of what you can
do on a full moon day and we are going to celebrate the full moon on September
14 and 15 this year! Come and join us not only you can immerse yourself under
the moonlight, but you will also find yourself under many beautiful lanterns
and you got various food stands to choose.
The origin of Chinese Lantern
Lantern Making is a traditional
Chinese craftmanship which was originated from more than 2000 years ago during
the Chinese East Han Dynasty.During the East Han Dynasty,
the Emperor Liu Zhuang promoted Buddhism which has the tradition of watching
the Buddhist Relics and lighting up for Buddha on the fifteenth day in the
first month of lunar calendar. As a result, he ordered to lit up lanterns around the Imperial Palace
and city temples to show the respect to Buddha and forced their citizens to
hang lanterns at their doorsteps. Since that period, people have
started to hang up red lanterns to signifying the meaning of family reunion and
build up the festive atmosphere on this specific day of the year.
Apart from the Lantern
Festival, Chinese have gradually started to hang lanterns during other
traditional Chinese festivals to enhance the festive atmosphere, such as
mid-autumn day (the moon festival).Through the inheritance and
development of the lanterns through generations, the lanterns have evolved in various
forms and design.Types of Chinese LanternThe traditional Chinese lantern types are mainly Palace lantern and Gauze
Lantern.The Palace lanternThe palace lantern is one
of the distinctive handicrafts in Chinese lanterns. It is famous for its
graceful and full of palace style. The craftsmanship is complicated to producing.
The fine wood is used as the skeleton, and then the crepe and the glass are set
between the skeletons, with various patterns drawn on it. Because they were long-term
use in the imperial palace, they were designed with elaborate decoration to show
the rich and luxurious of the emperor.The Gauze LanternGauze lantern is a type of lantern which were mainly wrapped with gauze.
In the past, these lanterns were framed with bamboo with a candle inside. Nowadays’
lanterns are mainly framed with steel wire and lit up by bulb. Because they are
easier and cheaper to produce, gauze lantern is widely used for many Chinese
festival.Giant lantern displayModern lantern has developed from traditional handcrafts into creative
artworks combining unique elements from different parts of China. The
production of giant lanterns is especially complicated, using a wide variety of
materials and covering a wide range of real-life topics. In addition, their
production requires state-of-the-art skills and knowledge such as structuring,
mechanics, electricity, aesthetics and material science as well as creativity,
and therefore has become one of the most challenging artistic creations. With
their stunning beauty and exquisite craftmanship, they attract millions of
visitors to lantern shows every year in China.