vallo (vallomod) wrote in valloic, @ 2021-09-21 09:47:00 |
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Entry tags: | !: event post |
AUTUMN FESTIVALS CATCH ALL
You will find everything from street festivals, food vendors, musical celebrations (Vallo Symphony Orchestra will hold a free performance on September 21), events and local bars, family games at parks, etc. Most covens in Vallo will have their own festivities that they hold, some public, and some not. There is no shortage of things to do.
The Autumn Equinox marks the start of the fall season, and the start of shorter days and longer nights. On the Equinox, day and night are roughly equal in length, making it a time of balance.
Celebrations give thanks to the abundance of Mother Earth. It is also a time to reflect on your success of the past year, and let go of things that did not serve you. Host a bonfire for friends and family, decorate your porch or entryway with traditional autumn greenery, write down all your blessings from the past year in a journal, go apple picking, clean your house and get rid of stagnant or negative energy, or host a potluck dinner with your favorite people.
Ancestral memorial ceremonies are held by filling a table (or putting food on ancestral graves) with food, including food from the recent harvest. An example specialty food includes songpyeon. Rice cakes filled with sesame seeds, chestnuts, red beans, honey, or other similar ingredients. The Rice Cakes are shaped like half moons, and are steamed with pine needles. Families perform ancestor worship rituals in the morning, and then visit ancestral graves to ensure they are cleaned up, maintained, and taken care of.
Gifts are common for people to present to both their family and their friends. Some customary gift ideas are high-quality cuts of beef, fresh fruit such as apples, spam, cooking oils, or electronic devices.
Other customs include folk dances, games, and wearing traditional clothing. Vallo will offer a number of activities, including street vendors, food vendors, community games, rice cake making, and a variety of places offering dinner for those who can't make it home.
Mooncakes are the most representative food for the Mid-Autumn Festival because of the round shape and sweet flavor. The full moon is a symbol of family reunion in Chinese Culture. Families set up tables outside, enjoy the moon, and eat mooncakes. Vallo tradition suggests that a fairy lives on the moon, accompanied by rabbits. If families food offerings with candles to the fairy, she may grant wishes.
Mid-autumn lanterns come in all shapes and sizes. Some people purchase them decorated, some people choose to decorate themselves, writing messages and wishes for good health, harvests, love, etc. These lanterns can be hung on homes, sent up into the sky, or released onto bodies of water.
Vallo will have a number of celebrations, including vendors, food stalls, opportunities to learn how to make mooncakes, lantern decorating and release events, and areas public areas set up for outdoor picnics to gather with friends and family and observe the moon.