Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Mark your Calendars: Moon Festival!

Thuy Dam, So You Boutique and Bambu owner

My friend, Thuy Dam, owns So You Boutique, but she also owns the Vietnamese restaurant Bambu.

If you haven't eaten there yet, then you should...but definitely consider making a reservation there on September 25th. That's because Bambu is going to celebrate the Moon Festival!

Just like Thanksgiving and Christmas, The Lunar New Year and Moon Festival are the two major celebrations in Asian cultures. The Lunar New Year is more of a holiday for adults, and the Moon Festival is more for children, family reunions, and lovers.

When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon poems. Children carry around beautiful lanterns and sing songs and poems. Lovers spend the romantic evening together tasting the delicious moon cake with some wine while watching the full moon. Even for a couple who can't be together, they can still enjoy the night by watching the moon at the same time so it seems that they are together at that hour.

With the full moon, the legends, and poems, you can't help think that this is really a perfect world. That is why the Asians are so fond of the Moon Festival.

The Moon Festival occurs every year on the 15th day of the lunar calendar. This year it falls on September 25th.

Bambu will be sharing this celebration by offering a lantern contest for the kids and displaying the Dragon Dance. Kids can make their lanterns or buy their lanterns at Bambu or local Asian Markets such as Binh-Tay. The winning lantern will receive $50.00. Kids eat free with a paying adult. For more information, call 881-9881.

3 comments:

admin said...

I just ate there the other day. It was great! I love their natural (non-fried) egg rolls. I will eat there again. This festival sounds fun. Maybe the House of Jack can go that day, assuming I can remember.

Anonymous said...

i love this picture of her so much. Because that is clearly a drag queen in the background. guffaw.

M. J. Bromley said...

Thanks for the info on the Moon Festival Celebration! I was chatting with my daughter (she and hubby are students in China) and she was showing me her "moon cakes" that they bought in prep for the celebration there. I googled "August Moon Festival" and then "Missouri" and found this site. How exciting that there is something planned!!
My son attends MSU and is helping with the International students there and has made a group of friends with the guys from...China! (it's a coincidence right?) Perhaps we'll get to celebrate with them...who knows? I DO appreciate your info on the festivities though!