Hoi An’s Mid-Autumn Festival: A Child’s Dream Come Alive
Mid-Autumn Festival is the Lunar calendar of the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. This is a children’s festival and is also known as Lantern Festival, Moon-watching Festival, and Reunion Festival.
On the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, The Hoi An ancient town, already steeped in magic, takes on an extra sparkle as the streets come alive with vibrant colors, the sweet aroma of mooncakes, and the joyful laughter of children.
Hoi-An-Mid-Autumn-Festival
Origin of Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival is the middle of autumn. Mid-Autumn Festival, as its name suggests, is the middle of autumn, which is the full moon (15th day) of the eighth lunar month.
According to ancient legends, Mid-Autumn Festival began during the Tang Dynasty, during the reign of King Due Ton, under the Van Minh era. That year, on the night of the full moon of the eighth lunar month, the wind was cool, the moon was full and beautiful, while playing outside the city, the king met a fairy who descended to earth in the guise of an old man with white hair like snow.
The fairy used magic to create a rainbow, one end touching the moon palace, the other end touching the ground, and the king climbed the rainbow to the moon palace and strolled around the Quang palace.
Returning to the mortal world, the king missed the poetic moon palace, so the king established the Mid-Autumn Festival.
This festival was later introduced to Vietnam. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people set up a feast with moon-shaped cakes and fruits, hung lanterns and flowers, danced and sang, and performed lion dances very enthusiastically.
Many places have food and cake making competitions for women. Children have lantern parades and many places have lantern competitions.
Vietnam is an agricultural country, so when August is the time when planting is finished, the weather is mild, it is the time when “everything is at ease”, people hold festivals to pray for a good harvest, sing and enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival
Over thousands of years, people have always believed that there is a connection between life and the moon. The full moon and the waning moon, joy and sadness, reunion, gathering or separation.
On this happy day, according to Vietnamese customs, all family members want to gather together to make offerings to their ancestors.
When night falls, the ground is filled with golden moonlight, villagers gather together to drink green tea, eat cakes, watch the moon and display fruits and candies for children to play with, carry lanterns, dance the lion dance, watch the moon, break the feast…
Other names does the Mid-Autumn Festival have? Why is that?
The Mid-Autumn Festival has many other names such as: Moon-Watching Festival, Reunion Festival, Children’s Festival,…
The festival is a visual feast. Elaborately crafted lanterns, shaped like animals, mythical creatures, and even cartoon characters, illuminate the streets. Children, their faces painted with joyful smiles, parade through the town carrying these glowing lanterns, their laughter echoing through the narrow alleyways.
The air is filled with the rhythmic beat of drums and cymbals as lion and dragon dances weave their way through the crowds, captivating both young and old. The scent of freshly baked mooncakes, filled with sweet bean paste and savory fillings, hangs heavy in the air, adding to the festive atmosphere.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
See more Hoi An festival and Hoi An tours see more at
- Cham Island Fishing Tour
- Tra Que Vegetable Village
- 7 Pattern Coconut Palm Tour
- Tra Que Vegetable Village tour
- Farming and Fishing Hoi An Eco Tour
If confirm booking please send us the list includes: Name, date of birth, email address (if available) or mobile numbers to companies for buying insurance. Or send all information as your request via WhatsApp >>>
