All You Need To Know About Mid Autumn Festival In Vietnam

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as “Tet Trung Thu” in Vietnam (or Full Moon festival), is one of the most important festivals in our nation. It is observed on the 15th day of the 8th Lunar month, corresponding to September. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of Vietnam’s two most popular festivals and has long been important to Vietnamese families.

If you chance to be in Vietnam around this time, you will observe many beautiful mid-autumn festival celebrations. This article will explain how the Mid Autumn Festival in Vietnam is celebrated.

Origin Of The Vietnamese Mid Autumn Festival

While the Mid-Autumn Festival began in China and is celebrated across Asia, the Vietnamese version has its own rituals and tales.

Our most famous story is of a man named Cuoi who clung to a supernatural banyan tree as it sailed up to the moon. If you look attentively at the full moon, you can see the shadow of a man sitting under a tree, according to legend. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, children parade lanterns around the streets to light the road to Earth for Cuoi from the moon.

In another explanation, the rice harvest season in Vietnam begins at the beginning of the eighth lunar month. Parents are frequently occupied on the field, leaving little to no time for their children. As a result, the full moon this month provides an opportunity for them to make up for lost time and spend time with their children. This Full Moon is also a good time to make deity sacrifices following a good crop.

5 Ways People Celebrate Mid Autumn Festival In Vietnam

1. Making Beautiful Lanterns

Even though the major event is held on the 15th night of the lunar month, the celebratory spirit may be felt for weeks earlier. During the preparation stage, lanterns are one of the features. Although there are colorful ready-made lanterns for sale on the streets, children are more interested in crafting their own lanterns.

Traditionally, the lanterns are shaped like stars or carps. They are simple to make using bamboo sticks and colored paper. Inside the lantern, a candle is lit. LED lights replace the candle in contemporary lanterns to make them glow brighter.

2. Carrying Star-Shaped or Carp-Shaped Lanterns & singing Mid Autumn Festival songs

The celebration traditionally has three primary events: a lantern procession, a lion dance, and a feast. Children would come to the streets, singing festival songs and holding the lanterns. During this holiday, you may observe a wide range of lantern designs, from traditional to futuristic, on the streets of Vietnam. When the children and their parents come down to the streets, these pretty lanterns will light up the entire street, making it a stunning sight to enjoy. 

3. Eating Moon Cakes

This festival is known for its spectacular array of sweet delicacies. Mooncakes are ornately-decorated pastry blocks baked to golden brown and filled with uncountable flavors (every year, social media erupts in fights over which one is the best and which is an abomination), or sculpted into fish (carps and goldfishes are popular due to their association with fortune and success).

Another flavor is pure white and ornate, although both are quite sweet. Fluffy white dogs carved from pomelos protect the feast, which is covered with arranged fruit, candy, and other delicacies.

4.  Worshiping the God of Earth

During the Mid Autumn Festival night, a worshiping platform is usually built up in the yard, on which mooncakes, fruit, and refreshments are placed. Later, family members gather to consume the dish while gazing at the moon.

The platform is not removed until the food has been consumed fully, which occurs at midnight. Most families also put up a dedicated platform for youngsters to eat at any time during the evening.

5. Watching Lion Dances

The Lion Dance, or “múa lân,” is an essential component of theMid Autumn Festival in Vietnam. A group of dancers don gigantic lion costumes and execute an enthralling lion dance to the beat of happy drums.

While some groups may be amateurs who perform for enjoyment, many dance groups are professionally trained months before the festival to ensure the greatest performance. Aside from the standard lion dance, some performers may also undertake complex skills like as fire blowing and gymnastics.

4 Cities Where Mid Autumn Festival Is Celebrated Most Merrily

1. Hanoi

As the Mid-Autumn Festival gets closer, the Hanoi Old Quarter becomes more vibrant and bright. Many streets in the Old Quarter are decorated with colorful lanterns, star-shaped lanterns, paper masks, traditional toys, and ornamental things.

Many events will take place at Hang Ma Street and Hanoi Old Quarter during the Mid-Autumn Festival, such as the opening ceremony, singing, dancing, outdoor sports, and many other traditional activities.

2. Hoi An

The Hoi An Lantern Festival, also known as the full moon lantern festival, commemorates the full moon. I takes place every month, on the 14th of the lunar month.

The lanterns, as the name implies, are the main attraction of this event. In and around the ancient town, lanterns are attractively lighted. You may wander around the magnificent historic town and observe folks playing Chinese chess, folk performances, and live music as well as brilliant lanterns. You may also take a Sampan ride along the Hoai River, which is possibly the greatest way to soak up the magnificent ambience of the Hoi An Lantern Festival.

3. Tuyen Quang

Tuyen Quang City is not an established destination for foreign travelers. However, it has the largest Mid-Autumn Festival festival in Vietnam.

Tuyen Quang will rejoice as a whole. Thousands of people of all ages and genders will parade down the street, carrying gigantic lanterns of all forms and colors. There are numerous massive lanterns that are the size of a bus.

4. Ho Chi Minh City

In Ho Chi Minh City, the Chợ Lớn district has thrilling Mid-autumn festivals. Stop by Lương Như Hộc Street – known as the Lantern Street of the city, which is notable for the abundance of lights, masks, and lion heads on the pavements. This is the ideal location for purchasing a souvenir lion head. For the past five decades, the business at 109 Triệu Quang Phục Street Street has sold lion heads to the city’s top dancers.