Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! 中秋快乐

The Mid-Autumn Festival started yesterday in China.  Its name comes from the fact that it is always celebrated in the middle of the season of autumn. The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, during a full moon.  The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second largest festival in China. 

We wanted to celebrate this holiday ourselves because we think it is important for our family to embrace Noah's heritage and culture just as we are learning to speak (or at least attempting) Mandarin Chinese.  So we enjoyed authentic Chinese food from a local restaurant and moon cakes brought over by a neighbor. 

The Moon Cake is the special food of Mid-Autumn Festival. Moon cakes come in various flavors according to the region. They are round, symbolizing the reunion of a family.  Nowadays, people present moon cakes to relatives and friends to demonstrate that they wish them a long and happy life.
This day is also known as the Moon Festival, as at that time of the year the moon is at its roundest and brightest.  On that day each year, people sacrifice moon cakes to the moon as an offering and eat them for celebration. 

Ella and Beckett really enjoyed trying the Chinese food and moon cakes.  I tried to explain the festival and significance.  They really got a kick out of the fact that Noah sees the same moon in the sky that we see each night.  We talk so much about how different his life is, what he doesn't have or can't do and I think we all appreciated the fact that it's the same moon whether he is in China or we are at home in the USA.  :)

Update: I forgot the most exciting part-check out the fortune...