After Nguyen Dan, Trung Thu is the most loved traditional holiday in Vietnam. This holiday is full of delights and is often referred to as "The holiday of children"
As its name suggests (Trung Thu means mid-autumn), the Trung Thu holiday is held on the mid-autumn day when the moon is full (the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the Lunar calendar). In Vietnam there are several holidays held on full moon days but Trung Thu is the only occasion when the moon is the center of celebration. It is because the moon is considered to reach its full beauty in autumn and everyone loves to enjoy the bright, clear moonlight. Besides, mid-autumn is an ideal time for partying. There are the poetic background created by the glowing moon, the fine weather and last but not least, a variety of good foods available thanks to a successful crop.
The tradition of celebrating Trung Thu originates in Southern China to which Vietnam especially the northern area has strong cultural ties. Some Trung Thu foods and customs of Vietnam were also introduced from China. However, there is a basic difference in the way the Vietnamese celebrate this holiday. In Vietnam Trung Thu is often held as the children's holiday while in China, it is a time for family gathering, which is expressed in its other Chinese name Tuanyuanjie (meaning Family Reunion Time).
Being the holiday of children, Trung Thu naturally requires plenty of foods especially sweet dishes and toys. There are many choices but moon cakes and lanterns must present. Moon cake is the sweet specialty of Trung Thu. The cake is often round or square but it can also be shaped after animals such as pig or fish. A typical moon cake is very sweet and fatty. Nevertheless, each producer has its own recipes and constantly experiments so moon cakes have a very wide range of flavours. Therefore almost every taste would be satisfied. Besides moon cakes, autumn fruits like grapefruit, banana, persimmon are popular options for a Trung Thu party. In the North, especially the area around Hanoi, com (young rice), an autumn delicacy, is sought after for the parties.
Like moon cakes, lanterns are characteristic of Trung Thu and are very diverse. The traditional ones are made by hand from bamboo and colourful papers and lighted by candles while the modern ones are plastic and lighted by small bulbs. Lanterns are traditionally star-shaped but nowadays their shapes range from stars, animals to popular cartoon characters. Other typical traditional Trung Thu toys are bamboo masks of legendary or historic figures, figurines made from paper or rice powder and small decorated drums. They are all hand made and have artistic quality.
Celebrating Trung Thu takes place at night. Each family organize their party usually outdoors under the light of the moon and the lanterns. In public places, traditional entertainments like Lion Dance, folk theatre and music are held. The major activity of Trung Thu night to the children is ruoc den (taking the lanterns around the neighbourhood). This custom originates in China in Song Dynasty. Its purpose was to chase away evil spirits. But when it came to Vietnam, it gradually becomes a kind of game for children. They would visit each other's houses, play around their neighbourhood or go to the Lion Dance with lanterns, moon cakes and toys in hand. Meanwhile, other family members sit together to admire the beauty of the moon, watch the children playing and enjoy the food. They can also go to see the traditional entertainments. Trung Thu really brings delights to all.
Reference:
Phan, Ke Binh, “The customs of Vietnam”
