Winter Is Coming

Despite the title, this post is not about my beloved Games of Thrones, although if anyone wishes to discuss that, let me grab a cup of coffee and I'll be all ears! 

This post is not about that; rather it's about what comes before Winter, i.e., Fall or Autumn, depending which kind of English you speak.

Usually, when the change of season is coming, we see signs like tree leaves start changing color, kids going back to school, winemakers getting ready to harvest their grapes...
If you live in Hong Kong, how do you know when Autumn is around the corner?

You know because you will start seeing Mooncakes ads everywhere! 

Recently, I did some work for one of my clients that was centered around the Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as Moon Festival), and Mooncakes were obviously a prominent feature. I must say it was fascinating learning in depth about the origins of the Moon Festival and its traditions. 
​The two main things to look forward to are the lanterns lifting up to the sky and the exchange of Mooncakes.​

A Sky Filled With Lanterns

In 2017, the Mid-Autumn festival falls on the 4th of October. There are various versions of the same myth, but essentially they are all about Hou Yi, an extraordinary archer, and his wife Chang'e who ended up drinking an everlasting elixir and floating to the sky taking up residence on the Moon. To symbolize this, every year in the all of Asia, thousands of paper lanterns are released up to the heavens.

Mooncakes

The tradition continues with the exchange of Mooncakes. These aren't your regular everyday cakes.  Oh no, these thin, tender pastry cakes are extra special. They have a dense filling, some contain one or more salted egg yolks that represent the Moon, and on their top, they have imprinted Chinese characters for longevity or harmony or the name of the bakery. In Hong Kong, the most popular ones are from Kee Wah bakery, though exclusive pop-up shops appear and they are sold everywhere including in modern international stores like Starbucks.

If you haven't tried one, have a go as the Moon Festival is just around the corner!