The Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as the Mooncake or Lantern Festival) is believed to be a 3,500-year-old Chinese festival. It is celebrated on the 15^th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar. This year, it falls on 24 September. It is celebrated mainly by the Chinese people all over the world to worship the moon and to celebrate the harvest season by eating mooncakes and carrying lanterns. Should Chinese Christians regard and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival as mere Chinese tradition and culture?

I believe Christians should not celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival because it is a superstitious tradition. The festival came about through a mythical belief that centered on Chang e’ who became the Moon Goddess of Immortality. Because of her, people came to worship the moon in order to have their wishes granted. The lanterns came about due to this same reason. Wishes were written on the lantern with the belief that the Moon Goddess would grant the people their wishes. As for mooncakes, it is believed that the Ming revolutionaries, in their efforts to overthrow the Mongolian rule over China, hid secret messages in cakes to facilitate the revolt. And it happened that they did so on the 15^th day of the eighth month. Later, the eating of mooncakes became part of the festival.

Today, the occasion is marked by the presence of colourful lanterns and mooncakes of a variety of flavours. Christians are to be careful of the superstitious belief and idolatry associated with the Mooncake Festival. The home or church building is not to be decorated with lanterns to mark the festival. Children are not to be encouraged to play with lanterns. As the origin of mooncakes is historical and not superstitious or religious, it is deemed alright to eat mooncakes.

There will be a full moon on 24 September. The moon must remind us of God, the Creator of heaven and earth. We are to worship the Creator rather than the creation according to the first commandment of the Decalogue: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me” (Exod 20:3). For those who worship the moon, let us point them to the Creator. And share with them how the Creator God sent Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. May God help us. Amen.