“Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie),” my husband announced. “OK,” I thought, and then quickly forgot.
He brought home moon cakes from the Chinese store, and they set on the kitchen counter until five minutes before the kids’ bedtime when he suddenly remembered the lotus-bean treats.
What followed next was a failed attempt to explain the holiday to our two kids through a badly translated and gory (no time for parental preview) Youtube video, and a brief moon cake taste-test (i.e. “You WILL try a bite of this!).
“Surely there is a more enjoyable and educational way to celebrate this holiday,” my husband and I wondered as we sat on the couch after the kids had gone to bed.
What could we have done differently to teach them about the story of Houyi and the moon goddess Chang'e? What could we have given them as a treat to celebrate and enjoy this holiday instead of the traditional lotus bean dessert, which their young palates have never really adjusted to?
After searching the web for fun and creative ways to celebrate with kids, I stumbled across Grace Lin’s beautiful book, Thanking the Moon, in which a Chinese American family heads out for a moonlight picnic, shares a mooncake and hot tea snack, and sends secret wishes up to the moon.
I’m not sure what our family life will look like one year from now, but I hope that when Mid-Autumn Festival rolls around (September 30, 2012!) we will be preparing for our own midnight picnic under the light of the moon.
Links:
History and traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival
All about the mooncake: http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/mooncake.htm
A traditional mooncake recipe for the adventurous baker: http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/2011/09/mid-autumn-fest.html
Grace Lin's book on the Mid-Autumn Festival: http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=thanking_moon
Grace Lin has become an angel in our household. It is through her that I have been able to open a door onto so much Chinese culture that our daughter, adopted from China, would otherwise miss.
ReplyDeleteI follow her blog where I can learn to make tea eggs or travel with Grace on her trips back to China.
I actually even wrote to her to thank her. She is like a big sister or aunt to so many girls adopted from China the way she connects them in joyful ways to their culture.
Right now A and I are reading Year of the Dog which is a chapter book about a Chinese-American, elementary school girl's growing awareness of her culture. It's a no-miss! Don't even get me started on Where the Mountain Meets the Moon --a work of art.
Jill, Thanks for your comment! This is what excited me about Grace Lin's books. I feel like I've finally found an author who is helping me connect my children in joyful ways to their Chinese culture. Without the joy, my attempts to "teach culture" to L & C result in disinterest and frusteration. I will check out "Year of the Dog." It sounds like a "must read"!
ReplyDeleteJust came across your post from last year while searching for Mooncake recipes - I hope you all have fun on the 30th, whatever you end up doing :-) (And we're big fans of Grace Lin's at PaperTigers too!)
ReplyDeleteThanks Marjorie! And a very Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to you!
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