Across the (Other) Pond: No. I: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong
HAPPY MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL!
It has now been about four weeks since I arrived here in Hong Kong, where I will study literature and anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) for the duration of my sophomore year. I am not exaggerating when I say that the last month has been an absolute whirlwind of events. However, I am very thankful that I had three full weeks to adjust before going out to experience some of Hong Kong’s most iconic Mid-Autumn Festival events.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, it feels like all of Hong Kong empties itself into the streets and MTR (metro) stations, making a trip down from the University’s location to Hong Kong Island an expedition not for the faint of heart! On the day of the festival, there are entire crowds of people waiting to board the MTR (a rare thing, in my experience, due to the incredible efficiency of the public transportation system) and the sidewalks are packed with people heading to and from Victoria Park, looking for restaurants, or in search of the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance. The City of Hong Kong actually deploys large numbers of police to implement crowd control measures and direct the flow of traffic at pedestrian crossings due to the sheer number of people out and about.
While one of the most traditional activities to participate in during this festival is moon-gazing with friends and family, I unfortunately did not have much time to enjoy the stunning moon. However, whatever I missed out on in that particular aspect, I made up in exploring the lantern display at Victoria Park, chasing down the Tai Hang Fire Dragon to its final destination (also Victoria Park), and generally reveling in the atmosphere of Hong Kong City at night.
VICTORIA PARK LANTERNS
In Chinese there is a phrase “人山人海” (renshan renhai), which literally means mountains and seas of people. Victoria Park is certainly an embodiment of this expression on the day of the festival. Crowds gather around the huge and beautiful lantern displays, snapping photos of giant panda lanterns, fish-shaped lanterns, food-shaped lanterns, and, of course, horse-shaped lanterns to commemorate the year of the Fire Horse. Throughout the evening there is riddle guessing, demonstrations of Hakka handcrafts like lantern-making, and musical performances that attract large amounts of spectators. However, by far the most famous performance that takes place during the Mid-Autumn Festival is the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance.
TAI HANG FIRE DRAGON DANCE
The Tai Hang Fire Dragon dance is a Hakka tradition that is now, according to the Hong Kong tourism board’s website, National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The dragon is covered with thousands of lit incense sticks and paraded throughout various locations on Hong Kong island. As a result, the smell of incense in the evening is very strong whenever you near a location where the dance has occurred. The experience of attending the dragon dance is incredible, but it is worth noting that if you do not book the visitor-exclusive viewing zone, your chances of actually seeing the dragon dance instead of simply hearing and smelling it will be highly dependent on your height and your ability to secure an optimal position within the giant crowd of people standing on their tip-toes and pressing forward to catch as much as they possibly can. I highly recommend booking the viewing zone, or at least arriving before the rest of the crowd so that you can watch from the very front of the public viewing zone!
MOONCAKES
I cannot write a complete blog post about the Mid-Autumn Festival without talking about mooncakes. Mooncakes, unfortunately, often get a bad reputation for being unhealthy, high-calorie, dense, and over-sweet. However, if you have not had a mooncake before, I highly recommend judging after you have tasted multiple versions of the festive pastry (and please try the real, baked ones; snowskin mooncakes don’t count…). While I used to think that I wasn’t very fond of them – especially the lotus seed paste and salted duck yolk version - I am a now a die-hard fan of these gorgeous desserts, salted duck yolk version included.
I have spent the last week keeping my eyes peeled for free mooncake samples at various events around the CUHK campus, and so far, I have loved every flavor I have had. Lotus seed paste and salted duck yolk, black sesame, red bean, and assorted nuts are all delicious and very traditional flavors. However, it seems that the common consensus among college students is that the lava custard mooncakes (a modern twist that still remains true to the traditional version of mooncakes) are superior. I can confirm that they are delectable! Whether or not you end up liking mooncakes, trying them out is essential to the experience of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong was an incredible experience. While I loved seeing the lanterns at Victoria Park and the Tai Hang Dragon dance, there are so many different ways to choose to enjoy this festival! Should I have the opportunity to be in Hong Kong again during this festival, I would probably go moongazing over shared mooncakes at Victoria Peak with a group friends. Now that I have seen the “big” events that occur over the festival, I like the idea of spending it in a quieter setting away from the huge crowds and packed sidewalks. With the plethora of celebration methods to choose from, there is an option to suit everyone’s needs!
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