Mid-Autumn Festival Home Decor Ideas You Will Find Amusing

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the important events in the Chinese calendar. It is a time of family reunion and celebration. The festival is actually a lunar harvest festival and can be traced back to around 3,000 years ago. Traditionally, the festival is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which falls close to the autumnal equinox. Since it has an ancient Chinese cultural influence, the Festival has spread to the other parts of Asia. Homes and various establishments and spaces are decorated with different interesting decors, especially lanterns and good luck items.

Origin and evolution of Mid-Autumn Festival

Also known as the Moon Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival is basically covered with three fundamental concepts: Gathering, Thanksgiving and Praying. The customs and traditions usually done during the celebration revolve around these concepts. In other words, the festival is about well being together.

Mid-Autumn Festival is a celebration of harvest during the autumn full moon and has been celebrated by the Chinese since the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC). Studies have shown that the harvest celebration originally started with worshiping the Mountain gods after the completion of the harvest. It was also a time they commemorated the dragon who brought rain for the crops. The celebration became popular during the early Tang dynasty.

The most important part of the festival is the worship of the moon. Ancient Chinese strongly believed in rejuvenation which is associated with moon and water. There was also an old story saying that the sun and moon are a couple and the stars are their children. When the moon is pregnant, it becomes round, and then becomes crescent after giving birth. These beliefs became popular among women to worship and give offerings to the moon during the evening. Offerings were also made to the lunar deity, Chang’e.

Today, the festival is a time to enjoy the reaping of rice and wheat with food offerings made in honor of the moon. The festival is celebrated with outdoor reunions with friends and relatives. Mooncake is usually eaten while watching the moon, as it is a symbol of harmony and unity.

Mid-Autumn Festival decorating ideas

Here are some decorating ideas that you and your family will love:

1. Moon canvas prints. As the moon is the most important part of the festival, make it the feature piece of your holiday home decor. Display a canvas print or a painting that features the everlasting beauty of the moon, along with the stars, in the night sky.

2. Lucky Rabbit Pebbles. In Chinese tradition, the sacrifice of the rabbit touched the hearts of the sages and this makes it a legend.

3. Carved lunar lanterns. Pumpkins are not just for the Halloween. Create a lunar lantern made from various fruits to make the home decor sparkle and twinkle.

4. Lanterns. Traditional handmade lanterns are made from paper and lit with candles. A more luxurious style of lantern may have a frame made from rattan or wood and covered with paper. Nowadays, inflated bulb-lit plastic lanterns with cartoon characters are loved by kids and adults as well.

5. Mooncakes. As this may be a classic food for the Festival, they may also make your home attractive. There are various kinds of mooncakes across Asia. Some may be savory and the classic ones are closely associated with the festival has been made the same way for centuries. The classic mooncake contains salty egg yolks stuffed in paste made from lotus seeds or beans.