The Brightest Night of the Moon

10/2/2012
Zephyrin Tsoi
100231347

There is one day of the year where every family comes together to celebrate the moon at its fullest and brightest night. Some people see it as a reason to give and share, to others it may seem like a remembrance of how china revolutionized during their different dynasties. But to me, it’s a day to remember why families are united, why it is so important to create these days to just remind yourself how important it is to be together.

Credit: Zephyrin Tsoi

Mid-Autumn Festival, or as most Asians would call it the Lunar Festival, is celebrated every year on the 15^th day of the 8^th month according to the lunar calendar. This may be just another day of the year, but to some people, this day is more then just another festival. But of course, everyone sees this festival differently according to his or her religion, vision, and mostly, family traditions.

Even though everyone sees this festival differently, there is one thing that will always be the same, moon cakes.

As mid-autumn festival arrives, the sight of moon cakes become more and more visible everywhere you go. Moon cakes is a traditional chinese pastry made out of lotus paste with a salty egg yolk right in centre with a golden brown crust that is shaped in symbols of the festival. The taste of moon cakes was so sweet that people could barely finish one on their own. Families usually come together to open one moon cake, split in 4 or 8 pieces, and matching it with a strong herbal tea. If good weather, some families would even have a barbeque or hotpot outside under the moon to celebrate this festival as if they were celebrating with everyone else under the same bright moon.

Credit: Amy Yeong

As years went by, chefs became so creative and even made different types of moon cakes for the festival. Some became green tea flavored, red bean paste, peanuts, beef bits and even the taste of xo sauce.  Some even lost the lotus paste and filled it in with a creamy paste that required moonc akes to be kept in the fridge.

Sweetness has already pampered people’s mind that sweet is happy. Despite the many calories that each moon cake carries, just having the opportunity to be there with family, watching every single smiling face, enjoying that tiny piece of moon cake is already brightening the night before it ends. Being together really helps relationships grow stronger and help understand one another. Despite all the differences that people might have, festivals are ways to bring people together to just brush the little things off and appreciate the things that you have at that very moment. 

It would only be right to indulge a bit and enjoy the sweet taste of moon cake during this mid-autumn festival under the brightest night of the year.

Related Links:

Mid-Autumn Festival

Traditional Moon Cake Recipe

Nourouz- The Spring Festival

10/02/2012
Nerissa Magol
100215010

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Welcoming spring with warmth by saying goodbyes to cold breezy winters is what majority of us look after. Goodbyes to gloves and mufflers and hellos to shorts and tank tops is my favourite slogan. Along with the spring season we welcome the Naurouz festival which is a spring festival, celebrated in Persia and Middle Eastern countries.  Nourouz is made up of two Persian words, Nou meaning New and Rouz meaning Day, Says a Persian Philosopher, Fariborz Rahnamoon. Naurouz falls on the 21^st of March each year and is celebrated by Zoroastrians and other Persians around the world. Nourouz heralds the beginning of Spring, the day of Spring Equinox, when day and night stands equal in length, space and time as the Sun shines directly over the Equator, entering the Zodiac Sign of ‘Aries’ Says, Fariborz Rahnamoon. Customs and traditions have been an important aspect for the Zoroastrians, right from the heart of Iran’s ancestral history and spreading as a gift for the entire humanity. Spring is the time when Nature blooms into a festive season, a fusion orchestrated to Natural endeavours. It’s also the time for grooming our body, life and soul with humanitarian values and morals. It’s an opportunity and the right time to better ourselves and our surroundings, to revive, re-grow and re-start so that we can live with positivity, happiness and success.



Credit:  Fatemeh Keshavarz



            Nourouz is well known for laying food ‘Tables’. Seven items are laid on the table, starting with the letter ‘S’ or ‘SH’ in Persian dialect. Why seven? This is because it represents the seven Archangels of Zoroastrianism. The tables have Sabzeh (wheat sprouts, signifying rebirth), Samanu (a wheat germ pudding, signifying affluence), Senjed (dried fruit, signifying love), Sir (garlic, signifying medicine), Sib (apples, signifying beauty and health), Somaq (berries, signifying sunrise) and Serkeh (vinegar signifying, age and patience).  Today, along with the food on the table, some other important elements are also kept on a Haft sheen table are Sheeshah (mirror), Sharab (wine), Shilooneh (jujube), Shiir (milk), Shirini (sweets such as white and pink fondants), Sharbat (juice) and Shaanin (candles).  It is said to believe that at the exact time of the vernal equinox, the pomegranate that is placed on the table moves and the mirror catches its movement. It is also believed that if you look into the mirror which has already reflected Nouroze, you will have good vibrations throughout the year!



Credit:  Sedreh Pushi



            In Zoroastrianism, it is taught from a child is born until death to be united within the community, offer help to the needy people in form of charity and follow on the path of ‘Good thoughts’, ‘Good words’ and ‘Good deeds’. Celebrating the Nourouz festival every year brings togetherness within families and relatives. The day starts of by family visiting the fire temple together, where offerings are made for our wellness and later the family visits at home to see the decor of the table followed by lunch and exchanging of gifts. The layout of the table is arranged four days prior to Nourouz start and kept until three days later, which adds up to seven days of offering which signifies offerings for seven days to the angels on Earth and the Archangels around us.

“My greenness (spring) to you, my yellowness (fall) to me,” which means “I wish the best for you in Persian.”

Related Links:

 Nourouz- The Spring Festival: Fariborz Rahnamoon.

 Nourouz- The Spring Festival: Fatemeh Keshavarz 

Nourouz- The Spring Festival: Sedreh Pushi

 

Tradition and Cultures around Christmas

Winter is coming, soon enough, and with winter comes Christmas, well for those who celebrate it. Christmas means different things to different people. For some people it means celebrating the birth of Christ with family or loved ones and for others it’s an opportunity to bank in on presents, this is a great example of parole. Dr. Richard P. Bucher says that, “the word “Christmas” refers to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, the most important part of the celebration of Christ’s birth.” 

Credit: x

Christmas is a traditional celebration among Christians and Catholics. And while I myself am Catholic and do celebrate Christmas, one thing I can’t get away from at that time of year is food. Everywhere I go, every house I visit, every party I go to, even when I go shopping, there is always a variety and abundance food. Cookies, candy, hot chocolate drinks, traditional Christmas sweets, cakes, traditional drinks, lunches and dinners, the list goes on. It’s quite overwhelming at times but every year on Christmas Day, my whole family sits down at the dining table and we have a traditional Christmas dinner.

Credit: Ronaldo F Cabuhat

Credit: Shutterstock

What makes a Christmas meal successful? Women in Kentucky who participated in a study by the Department of Occupational Therapy say that is “is just having family all together and sharing.”  I agree with this statement because I definitely think that the ideology behind Christmas is community and family. Working together with family and friends to make meals, shop for others or just spend time together is a big part of the tradition and culture of people who celebrate Christmas. That time of year is very important to people who value tradition.


However, these days tradition at Christmas time is changing. The world is changing how we see Christmas. For example, the economy during the week before Christmas is booming due to the fact of people buying presents. This is because to a certain extent many people these days don’t think about Christmas in a traditional way.  They don’t think about celebrating the birth of Christ and what that means, or going to church. They think about it as giving gifts and receiving even better ones in return. This could be a cultural discourse because we are shaping the way we will think about Christmas in the future. Eventually tradition might even die down because of how the generations today are thinking about cultural events. 

Related Links: What does"Christmas" mean?