20 billion yuan ($2.82 billion) in mooncakes

This is China’s mid-autumn festival and the food to eat must be mooncakes!  Many families still bake their mooncakes but nowadays most mooncakes come from professional bakers.  Simply browsing the very beautiful little and large cakes, is like a stroll to smell the roses.

Fillings are plenty with regional fillings very popular.  Nuts, fruit, bean paste, coffee, chocolate, and even flowers are enthusiastically mixed and prepared to fill the round cakes.  The round mooncakes symbolize the family reunion that often happens during this festival. Eating round moon cakes, under a round moon makes the locals long for their family and friends. Moon cakes are also often given as gifts during the holiday, as families reunite.

The moon has always been carefully observed in China, and many important decisions are tied to the moon and its movements in the sky. All major holidays in China are planned according to the lunar calendar, except for the National Holiday which falls on October 1^st each year. Not only holidays are scheduled this way though, as wedding dates are also often set, based on the lunar calendar, and many Chinese locals still celebrate their birthdays according to the lunar calendar as well.

The moon is thought to have a close relationship with how and when the seasons change and was therefore very important to farmers. To express their gratitude, they would give thanks to the moon by providing offerings as far back as the Zhou Dynasty between 1046 and 256 BC.

In old times, a more romantic story has surfaced and gained traction, which is the story of Chang’E. The Chinese moon explorations are also called Chang’E.  This is the mythical story:

A long time ago, ten suns had risen in the sky, and were causing hardships on the peasants below. But a skillful archer, known only as Yi, was able to shoot down nine of the suns, and as a reward, he was given an elixir of immortality.  Yi, however, did not consume the potion, choosing instead to save it, as he didn’t want to become immortal without his wife, Chang’E.

But one day, when Yi was out hunting, a thief by the name of Fengmeng, broke into their house to steal the elixir, threatening Chang’E to give it up. To keep the elixir safe, she drank it herself, and immediately flew towards the heavens, landing on the moon and settling there forever. Yi heard of what had happened and was inconsolable. He found the fruits and cakes that his wife loved, and presented them to the moon, to her, as gifts and as a sign of his undying love. It is possible that moon offerings became popular because of this story.

A quick search will provide you with many mooncake recipes.  Try one, or two.  It is a joyful festival.  Here you will find a bake and a no-bake version: https://redhousespice.com/snow-skin-mooncake/