Join us on Sept 12, 2015 for the Sunset District’s annual Autumn Moon Festival! The Autumn Moon Festival is a fun, family-friendly event where attendees will have a chance taste and explore the cultural diversity of the San Francisco’s Sunset District. The event takes place from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on Irving St between 22nd Ave and 25th Ave. For more information, click HERE.
The Moon Festival always falls on the 15th day of the 8th month according to the Chinese lunar calendar. This year it lands on 9/27/15 on the Gregorian calendar. It takes its name from the fact that it is always celebrated in the middle of the autumn season because it’s during that time of the year where the moon is at its roundest and brightest. Moon Festival celebrations have been held throughout Asia for well over 1,000 years. It is a time to reflect upon a good summer harvest, the fullness of the moon, and the myth of the immortal moon Goddess, Chang O, who lives in the moon.
The Moon Festival is often compared to a “Chinese Thanksgiving” because of its spirit of thankful gratitude and abundant food. One of the most popular food items is a pastry called moon cakes and it’s considered lucky to eat one during the celebrations. Moon cakes are round, flaky, semi-sweet pastries filled with bean or lotus-seed paste with a preserved duck egg to represent the full moon.