Hoi An Mid Autumn Festival Hoi An

The name of the Mid Autumn Festival in Hoi An is a little misleading. Though the name of the festival is “Mid Autumn Festival”, the festival occurs at the beginning of the season of autumn or fall. The Mid Autumn Festival in Hoi An is better known as the ‘children’s festival’ as it is a riotous and frolicking affair filled with fun and games. Though the main participants of the Mid Autumn Festival in Hoi An are children, adults also join in enthusiastically.
The Mid Autumn Festival in Hoi An is actually a moon festival. It is an annual festival unlike the monthly moon-festival of “Hoi An Full Moon Night” that is held on the 14th day of every month. The Mid Autumn Festival in Hoi An on the other hand is an annual affair falling in the lunar August or the eighth month of the lunar calendar. The festival is celebrated for two days: on the 14th and the 15th of this month. The Mid Autumn Festival in Hoi An is a gesture of gratitude to the Moon. The festival is celebrated to thank the moon for its year round services. The occasion is commemorated by baking and exchanging moon-cakes. There is more to the festival than just the prayers and cakes. The Mid Autumn Festival in Hoi An involves a procession of children beating drums and gongs as they parade through the street in the night with lanterns shaped mostly like the moon or stars and sometimes like animals as well. An attractive feature of the Mid Autumn Festival in Hoi An are the ‘Lion Dance’ and the ‘unicorn Dance’ that are preformed by children.