The world is a really small place, and that is exemplified by the fact that we see peoples of all colours, races and ethnicities in almost all the countries.
One of the most prolific communities is the Chinese community, which is known for its drool-worthy cuisine, colourful lanterns, porcelain art and of course the millions of gadgets that are manufactured in China. The country is rich in culture, and that can be noticed during The Mid-Autumn Festival (Chinese: ???), which takes place during the month of September usually.
It is also known as the Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival and signifies a successful harvest season. The festival is celebrated by the Vietnamese people as well. The festival is marked by several colourful traditions like fiery dragon dances, different kinds of ‘moon rabbits’, eating delicious mooncakes, lighting beautiful lanterns, burning incense and of course, matchmaking. Being a geek site, we would like to concentrate more on the aspects of mooncakes, lanterns, and the moon rabbit. Lanterns of all kinds are lit in most Chinatowns and in places where the Chinese community lives.
Most Chinese restaurants and bars make use of this season to attract customers by lighting geeky lanterns, that use LEDs, colourful papers, and electronic fittings that make the room glow with an ethereal brightness. The Moon Rabbit refers to the mysterious dark shaped crater that one can see on the Moon on a clear night. There are several legends that surround the story of the moon rabbit. In fact, Chinese geeks take the Moon Rabbit so seriously that many create robotic moon rabbits, toys and geeky models of the bunny as a way to celebrate the Moon festival. Mooncakes too are given special importance and many of them are cooked in shapes that resemble popular geek culture icons.
China as a country has a deep rooted connection with all things geeky, and their most important festival is quite geeky too. Be it an electronic Moon rabbit or a superhero shaped Mooncake, the Chinese and the Vietnamese all around the world would greet you with their own unique geekiness that would make you appreciate a culture that has long been misunderstood. Perhaps this Mid-Autumn Festival is the right time to visit the nearest China Town and make friends fellow-geeks there, and learn a thing or two. If you guys didn’t know, the Chinese consume the most number of geeky gadgets and also purchase more video games than any other country.
You could also take a look at 32 Hanukkah Menorahs that we had featured sometime back. We had featured a similar list of some more Geeky Hanukkah Menorahs as well. If you didn’t know, Hanukkah is an important Jewish festival. Perhaps it is time for all of us to get culturally sensitive and learn about other cultures, and their festivals and the way they lead their lives. All this geeky connection would make us want to celebrate the Mon Festival ourselves! How do you celebrate the Moon Festival?
