Historically, how did Hanoians organize the Mid-Autumn Festival?

September 14, 2010 9:35 AM GMT+7

VGP - Writer Hoàng Đạo Thuý (1900-1994), in his famous work Hà Nội thanh lịch (Elegant Hà Nội) described the Mid-Autumn Festival in turn-of-the-century Hà Nội as follows: “…In autumn, the sky is pure and the moon is bright. It is said that in mid-August, mid-autumn, the moon is at its brightest. In the evening, children play with the moon, and the elderly, especially writers, enjoy the moon. Elderly people say that ‘the moon at this moment is the most beautiful. If we are not able to see it enough now, we can see it again like this in one year’s time.’ They see the moon, drink wine and recite poems.”

A Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in Hà Nội – Illustration photo
The Mid-Autumn Festival (eighth lunar month) was the most important festival of the year for children. Hàng Gai Street would become the center for excitement. Skillful pupils who were poor could earn a little money. They would use their money to buy paper, bamboo, and turpentine to make toys. People in Hàng Mã Street would join in and make lion masks.

Book shops would be replaced by toy shops. The streets would fill with people and children could ask their parents’ permission to stay out late. Hàng Gai and Hàng Trống Streets would fill with drums of all sizes, and children would be permitted to beat the drums all day long.

Hàng Thiếc Street would also be busy. Bowls and basins would make way for gaudily painted, tin toys such as butterflies, rabbits beating drums, toy cars, and ships.

From the eleventh day of August, all children would have a lamp, a small drum, and a lion mask. In the evening, they would light candles, beat drums and dance with the masks.

Children show their joy during the Mid-Autumn Festival– Illustration photo
Older children would organize processions. Each procession would have ten lamps and a big head of a lion; an oxcart carrying large drums and flags would go at the fore. These drums create rhythms for children under the lion mask to dance.

Families with children would organize feasts to wait for the moon. On the table would be moon cakes, along with some grapefruits. Skillful girls would cut flowers or using cotton and a coconut, fashion pretty rabbit. To please the children, mothers would go to Hàng Đường Street to buy toys. Children would go to each other’s houses to share happily the cakes and fruits. Some families, such as the Bát Thiện family on Hàng Gai Street, would have an annual feast with many tables full of cakes and toys throughout their home. Many people would come see the house and pay compliments to the family.

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