Random Post

After four years, I finally got the chance to celebrate the Moon Festival with my family and friends thanks to the online school. Moon Festival is a traditional holiday in Taiwan which people to take a day off from work and school to gather and enjoy the moon at its brightest and fullest size. In my country, we celebrate the festival and cherish the moon by eating mooncakes and barbequing with our family and friends outdoor (preferably under the moonlight). Foods and drinks are served during the family ceremony and fireworks are set off toward the end of the celebration. If you walk around the city, you will certainly be able to see your neighbors barbequing in front of their houses and sometimes even on the street. This year, I learned that Korea and Japan also celebrate this holiday. But different from the Taiwanese tradition where barbequing with family members under the moonlight is a tradition, these countries celebrate the holiday by sharing a feast or drink. 

This year my family invited one of my high school/college friends to the family barbecue. Halfway through the event, we found out that my friend’s dad is in fact my auntie’s ex-boyfriend. I can tell that my auntie was feeling awkward seeing her ex-boyfriend after 25 years on such a unique holiday. But I was too excited about the sausage and lamb on the barbecue rack, so I did not pay too much attention to everyone’s reaction. I would still say we all ended up enjoying the gathering anyways. 

Coming back from the States and finally being able to be around the people who I am most emotionally attached to, I gradually understand the meaning behind family gatherings during traditional holidays. This is the only time when everyone can bond with their family, who are the most intimate and yet oftentimes the least interacted people in their lives. Perhaps, the meaning behind the Moon Festival isn’t even about celebrating the brightness and the size of the moon, but merely an additional reason for families to meet and bond.