Moon Festival events are in full swing across Sydney. I recently attended Burwood’s moon festival and enjoyed watching the creation of a giant jiang xiang bing (vegetarian pancake) in the middle of Burwood Park. Mid-Autumn festivals are tied to the Chinese lunar calendar—the full moon at night on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon—broadly mid-September to early October in our (Gregorian) calendar. This is harvest time and is associated with lanterns (bright lights leading to prosperity) and mooncakes (rich pastries filled with sweet red bean, egg yolk, meat and lotus seed paste). Similar holidays are celebrated in Vietnam, Japan, Korea and other parts of Asia.
If you’re keen to join the festivities, in Chatswood you can learn Mandarin and eat mooncakes at a free event at Chatswood Library on Saturday 23 September. Lidcombe is celebrating with food stalls, Qing Fong Lion Dancers, and an outdoor cinema screening Kung Fu Panda on Saturday 30 September at Wyatt Park. On the same day, Macquarie Park has Dance Under The Moon that includes a free all-day Chinese art and fashion exhibition then a ticketed tea ceremony and live music event later in the evening.
You can also visit Westfield Sydney’s fifth floor for Ommi’s mooncakes pop-up stall any day before 1 October. This Taiwanese business has three ranges of mooncakes for you to try: traditional Cantonese ones made in collaboration with Lotus Dining Group, tea-infused ones made in collaboration with popular ice creamery, Ice Kirin Bar, and Ommi’s signature mooncakes. If you’re new to eating mooncakes, I suggest trying the signature range. Taro and salty yolk was my favourite, but you might also enjoy tiger bubble tea and red bean with cheesy mochi. They come in pairs ($22) or a beautifully packaged box set ($58/4 x 75g) that would make a great present for your Chinese, Taiwanese or South East Asian family, friends and colleagues. Don’t hang onto it though: mooncakes are best refrigerated and consumed within seven days.
