Lanterns & Mooncakes: Chinatown celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival in style

Saturday downtown was a festive evening in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Chinatown. The main plaza was filled with Angelenos of every age and background to celebrate the 79th annual Mooncake Festival.

The Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival is celebrated by Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean cultures on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the night of the full moon. This year, the zodiac Year of the Rooster, the full moon took place on Oct. 4, but there was no shortage of festival-goers waiting in line to see the nearly full moon through a large telescope once it rose above the buildings.

As the most important celebration behind Chinese New Year, the 3,000-year history of this festival is almost richer than mooncakes themselves. The festival originates from the custom of moon worship that began in the Shang Dynasty from 1600-1046 B.C. Traditionally, autumn is a time of harvest, and also an important time to gather with family to give thanks for a bountiful harvest and to pray for the future. Moon worship is an important aspect of East Asian culture, as the moon is seen as a rejuvenating force closely connected with fertility and menstruation. In Chinese culture, the round shape of the mooncakes and the full moon symbolize togetherness and family unity.

Some of the flavors of mooncake include black bean, red bean mixed nut and lotus seed paste, with lotus seed paste being the most traditional. The line ran outside the door and around the block at Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown, which has been in business since 1938. Owner Ken Chan discussed the history of the Mooncake Festival and his family’s role in bringing traditional Chinese delicacies to Los Angeles.

“I can tell you that with the new technology most bakeries and producers don’t make mooncakes the traditional way,” Chan said, and gestured to a box filled with wooden rolling pins. “But we make them the traditional way.”

Chan also explained that there are three important myths that are told during the Mooncake Festival: Chang’s flying to the moon, Wu Gang chopping the cherry bay and the Jade Rabbit.

The festival was filled with many activities such as magic shows, Chinese acrobatics, Shaolin Kung Fu, cooking demonstrations, Chinese opera and calligraphy lessons.

“My mom really admires Asian culture and wanted us to experience the festival for all it represents, and it sounded like a really fun Saturday night,” festival goer Wendolyn Ortega said.

Her friend Daniel Ortega agreed.

“We also like to come to Chinatown and Olvera Street because it is a way for us to experience other cultures without going too far,” Ortega said.

The ground in the main plaza was covered in colorful paper pieces from festive poppers under strings of red and white paper lanterns. Outside of the plaza, there were other smaller parties happening in restaurants and in parking lots. Projected onto the storefronts and building walls were phrases like “The Year of the Rooster,” “Chinatown After Dark” and “Mooncake Festival,” all of which added to the feeling of togetherness and celebration.