New Moon

Mommy didn't make these but they look delish!

Dear Chase:

Every year on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its maximum brightness for the entire year, the Chinese celebrate "zhong qiu jie." My mom use to tell me this story of the moon fairy living in a crystal palace, who comes out to dance on the moon's shadowed surface. The legend surrounding the "lady living in the moon" dates back to ancient times, to a day when ten suns appeared at once in the sky. The Emperor ordered a famous archer to shoot down the nine extra suns. Once the task was accomplished, Goddess of Western Heaven rewarded the archer with a pill that would make him immortal. However, his wife found the pill, took it, and was banished to the moon as a result. Legend says that her beauty is greatest on the day of the Moon festival. There are so many stories and tales that you will hear as you grow up and you can choose the one that resonates with you the most. This story has always made me felt magical and wondrous compared to other tales that I heard of throughout my childhood. Fiction or not...if the thought makes you feel good and you believe it to be true...then it will be in your heart.

Today, we celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival with dances, feasting and moon gazing. Not to mention moon cakes. While baked goods are a common feature at most Chinese celebrations, moon cakes are inextricably linked with the Moon festival. One type of traditional moon cake is filled with lotus seed paste and some others are filled with red bean or an array nuts. I personally like the lotus seed paste but without the egg yolk. It has the perfect texture and sweetness, that makes these cakes pretty hard to resist.


My family tends to celebrate this day with a nice family dinner and a slice of moon cake for dessert.  The New Moon is also a time when I reflect on the year so far and to think of all the positive things that I want towish upon those around me. I look forward to this night every year. It is sort of a new beginning for me before we actually reach the New Year. Last night, I looked outside our window in search of the bright and beautiful moon but I couldn't see it beyond the fog and yet I knew it was there. So, I collected my thoughts, had a small piece of moon cake (very yummy) and made a wish!