- [Narrator] Every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival,
my family gathers around the table to indulge in mooncakes.
Mooncakes are like works of art.
One of the most popular types of mooncakes
is the one with the salted egg yolk in the middle,
covered with a sweet lotus paste
and encased in a golden dough,
then finally molded
with the most intricate and beautiful designs.
We'd cut them into quarters
and we bet on which slice would have the most yolk
and then we'd fight for it.
They're rich, sweet, savory,
and made with lots of hard work and love.
I even remember as a small girl
thinking that they were too beautiful to eat.
One year, my mom had given me a mooncake to bring to school
to share with my friends.
I remember thinking that I would eat it alone during recess,
because I was too scared to share my culture.
I didn't want to share these traditions
that others would find strange,
but as I sneakily took it out of my backpack,
my friend turned to me excitedly
and told me it was the prettiest thing they had ever seen.
She wanted to try it.
My face lit up and we shared the mooncake
and I began to tell her all about the legend of Ch'ang-O,
the Chinese goddess of the moon.
(soft instrumental music)
Now, maybe you've never seen mooncakes before,
maybe you're remembering
that the first time you learned about mooncakes
was when you were sitting in front of the TV
watching "Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior" on Disney channel.
Either way, you're about to see
how to make these beautiful mooncakes
and how they came to be an iconic part
of the Mid-Autumn Festival
from the famous ancient Chinese myth.
The legend goes that a Chinese archer named Hou Yi
shot down nine suns from the sky leaving just one,
saving the world from being scotched.
And after his courageous act,
he was given an elixir of immortality from heaven.
Hou Yi's wife Ch'ang-O drink the elixir,
which caused her to become so light.
She floated all the way to the moon
with nothing but her rabbit companion.
Some iterations of the story
say that Ch'ang-O drink the elixir
as an attempt to keep it away
from Hou Yi's wicked apprentice
while Hou Yi was out hunting.
Hou Yi began to prepare a feast each year
on the day when the moon was at its fullest
in honor of his wife who he missed,
hoping to see her shadow on the moon.
And this feast included mooncakes,
a traditional treat eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival
even till this day.
But not everyone shared mooncakes
as a treat of love and admiration.
It was once reported
that the treats became popular during the Yuan dynasty
when the cakes were reportedly used as paywall,
essentially a vessel to deliver secret notes
to assist Han Chinese
in overthrowing the Mongolian rulers at the time.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally celebrated
on the 15th day of the eighth month,
which is supposedly the night
the moon is at its fullest and brightest.
Each country celebrates in their own special ways.
In Vietnam, the festival is considered children's day,
with celebrations including paper lantern fairs
and Mayan dance parades.
In Southern China, many people eat autumn fruits
like camellia and starfruit as well as lighting lanterns.
Certain villages in Hong Kong
keep up a tradition of fire dragon dancing
throughout narrow alleys.
In South Korea, the festival lasts three days
and is used as a time to sweep ancestor's tombs
and wear traditional garb.
In Japan, people eat grilled sticky rice balls
while partaking in moon viewings.
And in Taiwan, people have barbecues and admire the moon.
Nowadays you'll see families exchanging mooncakes
of all sorts of flavors.
The traditional lotus seed past with salted egg yolk,
red bean, nuts, caster, green tea, chocolate, and many more.
Families gather and have a feast with lots of food,
fruits and desserts.
And while everyone has different ways
of celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival,
family is always at the center.
The festival is filled with joy and laughter,
sharing special traditions, admiring the moon,
and of course sharing mooncakes.
And while some people may find mooncakes strange
or unappetizing, they're always gonna be special to me.
It was once a food I was too embarrassed to share
because I was ashamed of my culture,
I was ashamed of myself. But not anymore.
I love being able to share mooncakes
with my friends and family
and telling them about old Chinese legends
and the traditions that come with it.
I love that mooncakes remind me to be proud of my heritage,
and I love that mooncakes are little beautiful works of art
that you share with your friends and family
you love so much,
the most special people in your life.
And I hope you get to enjoy some mooncakes this year.
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.
(slow-paced upbeat music)