I still remember clearly, when I was a seven- and eight-year-old boy who stole books to go to village schools. On the days of autumn, when the pig's wind blows slightly, the most impressive aroma is the smell of... moon cakes from the Cooperative's small bakery.
In the late 1980s, from rural Vietnam to urban areas, almost everywhere was poor, most families did not have enough to eat, let alone spend money on fruit cakes typical of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Now, high-end, expensive baked cakes and sticky rice cakes are not uncommon to children, but in the past, even though they were popular, only poor families could buy them.
My parents are workers in a car repair factory, near Trieu Khuc village (Hanoi), and their house is also a poor area. Therefore, usually during the Mid-Autumn Festival, my family usually only has baked cakes, or sticky rice cakes, and rarely both types of cakes. That cake is always cut into 8 parts (not 6 or 4 parts as usual). The simple reason is that the family has 4 people, each person is only given a piece of the moon at night that is a little larger than the tip of the index finger. The rest, exactly half a cake with 4 small pieces of sticky rice, left to eat the next night... to save money and extend... Mid-Autumn Festival.
However, the Mid-Autumn Festival is still fun, not only a mixed-use mixed-use cake with all kinds of pork, squash jam, lotus seeds, squash seeds mixed with the occasional smell of lemongrass leaves, but also a family festival. Before the full moon, my father took bamboo and bamboo from the house to make a frame, made a rice photo of himself, then went to the market to buy some thin, affordable paper to make into a rustic lamp. My mother used a cardboard and a pen to make a mask for each of us, one year for Ton Ngo Khong, the other year for Tru Bat Gioi. The mother had dried the grapefruit seeds, while we, the brothers, peeled the seeds and skewered them into a few copper wires, ready to burn overnight. In my workers' collective housing area, every house is like that, there are more creative houses, using oil lamps. But in general, the whole area is unusually bustling.
My father said that in the past, he only took advantage of the typical fruits of autumn, such as grapefruit, persimmons, sea worms, bananas... available in the garden or bought in the neighborhood, limiting shopping in the market. The purpose is to let children display and enjoy, but the main thing is to make children realize the value of the effort to grow those fruits, children know how to love work and flowers. These fruits are displayed under the full moon to help children learn to love and live in harmony with nature.
Many families, even if they have money to buy lights, still instruct their children to do it, or children impersonate their peers. This not only creates a bustling scene before the Mid-Autumn Festival but also educates children to be independent, love work, be creative, persistent, and be aware of saving in life.
My father also said that there is a gift, a toy for the Mid-Autumn Festival that has many spiritual values, has a very profound educational meaning that the vast majority of families in the past, no matter how poor, still bought for their children. That is the doctor (or doctor) with a certificate. The purpose is to encourage the spirit of learning, advise children to work hard to prepare for books, study well, and take exams to become leaders, not only bring changes to themselves, glory to their families, villages, and hamlets, but also become talents, contributing to the cause of building and defending the country.
Traditional toys for the Mid-Autumn Festival are passed down from year to year, from generation to generation, in each family, village and some craft villages, creating cultural values with profound educational significance and enduring vitality.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Solidarity Festival, has existed for a long time in Vietnamese culture and has become an important occasion for the whole family to gather together, honor family values and education. Despite thousands of years of development, the Mid-Autumn Festival still retains its profound human beauty, not only a children's holiday but also an opportunity for each person in the family to express love, share and bond.
Mid-Autumn Festival is associated with the profound values of family love. This is an opportunity for family members, whether far or near, to return together. This Tet holiday is not only a time for children to play but also an opportunity for adults to look back on their responsibility towards the younger generation, thereby nurturing faith in the bright future of the country.
The tradition of the Mid-Autumn Festival originates from giving thanks to nature, land and sky, and a bumper crop. Children on this day are often given meaningful gifts such as star lanterns, moon cakes, milk, and school supplies. These gifts not only have material value but also symbolize the care of family and community for the younger generation, helping them to be more motivated to study and practice.
Each star lantern, each moon cake contains love, reminding them of the precious human values of the nation. In addition, folk games such as lantern carts, lion and dragon dance, and music and dance not only bring joy, but also help children better understand the traditional culture of the nation, thereby nurturing the spirit of patriotism, love for family and homeland.
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I once witnessed a "swinging" Mid-Autumn Festival at a friend's house. Each of his family's fruit trays is cherry, each is American grape. The beetroot moon cake box is each cake just a little larger than a quarter. The friend said: "People give away to business partners, I bet it's expensive but no one eats it at home. The children don't like it. My wife and I should avoid sweets for fear of... diabetes, so we just left them like that, and then we might leave in a few days.
But the strangest thing is that the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere in his house is just greasy and cold. He said: "It is no longer like the time when we burned grapefruit on a mask and ran them all out on the street. My children, like today, are on the 15th lunar month, the older one goes to the movies, the younger one goes into the gaming room, watching TikTok. I'm so tired, guys!
It is true that today, as society is increasingly developing, family values seem to be being tested by the bustling pace of life and the dispersation of technology. Many families have lost the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere in their homes. Children consider Mid-Autumn Festival as an occasion to demand gifts. All prohibited!
However, the Mid-Autumn Festival is always an occasion for each family to get together, even in the simplest moments. This is the time when we can ask again: Does the family still play an important role in nurturing the soul and building personality for the younger generation?
The Mid-Autumn Festival is not only an occasion for parents to give their children material gifts, but also an opportunity for them to give valuable lessons about love, responsibility and dedication. The Mid-Autumn Festival gifts, from fragrant moon cakes to simple star lanterns, are all reminders of family care and affection, of building a space filled with love together, so that children can feel and learn about those values.
Mid-Autumn Festival is an opportunity for family members, no matter how far they go, to try to return to gather together, enjoy traditional dishes, tell each other old stories, share joy and sadness, and especially better understand the difficulties and hardships that each family member is going through. Every moment on the Mid-Autumn Festival night, when everyone sat together under the moonlight, will be a deep memory, nurturing family affection, preserving the lasting values of Vietnamese families in a changing society.
Today's Mid-Autumn Festival is not only an occasion for children to have fun, but also an opportunity for each person in the family, each parent and educator to look back on their responsibility towards the future generation. Each cake, each star lantern, is a loving gift containing lessons and educational values necessary for them to develop comprehensively, become good citizens, responsible for their families and communities.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, with all its simplicity and warmth, is the mark of a Vietnamese family filled with love, solidarity and warmth. In a world full of changes, where life seems to always push us into a constant cycle, the Mid-Autumn Festival is still a precious opportunity for each person in the family to find the core values - love, sharing and empathy.
Through each Mid-Autumn Festival, family values are not only preserved but also promoted, helping to build a new generation, growing up in love and responsibility. That is the heritage that the Mid-Autumn Festival brings - not only a festival but also a reminder of the lasting value of Vietnamese families, values that always reach out and live forever in the hearts of each person.
