Happy Moon Festival!

This past week, my mom received an email from a friend who said she would be saying thanks for her today (Sunday 9/30) for being a friend. It would be several "thank you's" she would be doing as part of the Chinese Moon Festival. She was gathering with her family for dinner and for various traditions as part of this Chinese public holiday.

I never heard of the holiday so I did some research. It's a wonderful tradition that I think we should adapt! You can read more about it here. I had never realized that those lanterns (pictured above) were part of the tradition of the Moon Festival. They are so lovely I hope to incorporate them into a future celebration.

Unfortunately, I hadn't planned in advance to participate in this festival today, but there are fireworks in Flushing, Queens as well as parades and the Botanical Gardens is also hosting an event. Luckily this happens each year so I plan on doing something next year. In the meantime, I had Chinese food for lunch today, burned some incense, and will say my thank you's and wishes tonight when the moon makes an appearance in the night sky.

Here are the days of the Moon Festival over the next few years:

• 2013: September 19
• 2014: September 8
• 2015: September 27
• 2016: September 15
• 2017: October 4
• 2018: September 24
• 2019: September 13
• 2020: October 1