A Mooncake Festival

It’s only Day 1 of The Journey, and boy am I lucky. The featured image is the view from my hostel in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia tonight. What you are seeing is the annual Mooncake Festival. Now, what is Mooncake Festival? Or more specifically Mid-Autumn Lantern Mooncake Festival? Well, this is an odd quirk of modern economic influences on ancient traditions. Let me explain.

We’re coming up on the end of Summer, and the start of fall; the solstice is soon upon us! This is a time for celebration, feasting, and partying before the world moves into a less productive season. However, for thousands of years we didn’t base that event on the sun as we do now, but instead on the moon and its phases. In other words, a Lunar Calendar. Well, a significant chunk of Asia still utilizes a lunar calendar, even if not officially, and many of those countries still celebrate this “Mid-Autumn Festival” in one way or another. Malaysia is one of those countries that does one or both of these things! But we’re still missing a critical piece of the puzzle. What the hell is a mooncake, and what does it have to do with the end of summer?

Those ladies and gentlemen, are mooncakes, a desert-like treat that floods stores everywhere in China at this time of year specifically for consumption at the holiday celebration. If you’ve never had one I don’t recommend it: they are delicious, about half the size of an apple, and contain something like 750 calories on average. They too easily make you fat. Beyond the mooncake China has several myths and rituals surrounding the holiday including a story about killing 9 Suns (the star), immortality, reflecting the moon in water before beating the reflection with sticks, releasing lanterns, as well as other kooky but cool concepts; seriously, look it up, your mind will expand. But what does China and it’s traditional snack have to do with the Malaysian celebration of this holiday?

Here’s the deal, China is rich. Like, really rich. They have the second strongest economy in the world and their sheer population means they have almost as many rich people as there are people in the USA. And Chinese people like to spend their wealth, most commonly – I believe – on vacations. What does Kota Kinabalu (KK) have? A tourism industry. So Chinese people often make their way here and spend their money. What would make them spend even more money? Celebrating shared traditions in the style of the people who keep throwing money at you. Suddenly the bills flying through the air get a bit more numerous just because you slapped a foreign-looking skin on everything.

Now, I’m not saying this holiday is entirely devoid of native Malaysian iconography or culture. However, I haven’t seen a single mooncake or lantern today. What I have seen are floats or banners that could be brought to a parade in Mainland China without any of the observers blinking twice. And the amount of Chinese characters everywhere (nearly more than English) despite the fact that I have found many locals who can’t understand the Chinese tourists here compels me to think there must be some pressure from the RMB to cause the festival tonight to be tailored in some way. It’s all speculation anyway. But whose blog is this?

Upon reaching KK I was greeted with the above. The town regularly has a market every Sunday, and this weekend was no different. Luckily though it is also the Sunday of the celebration! Trinkets, food, and souvenirs littered the street for four or five blocks. There were regular items like fans or jewelry. But there were also Rabbits for sale (it’s related to Japanese myths involving the holiday I believe), Zodiac pins, decorations, and more! I didn’t buy anything, but it would have been the perfect time for a themed souvenir.

After the market closed up the festival celebrations began. Instead of clothing or jewelry, the streets were filled with food trucks! Now, this was the most Malaysian thing of the festival. I’ll be having a separate post later about the food here, but I’ve never had anything like Malaysian Cuisine, or it’s Halal variety; it’s pretty good. I also had the chance to help a random stranger when she only knew how to communicate in Chinese but the cashier of our food truck of choice only knew English and Malay. I translated, and got a thank you from two people I’ll probably never see again; all over ordering a dish of noodles.

There was also this little guy who, with some friends, entertained us for hours into the night.

At the moment I’m tired from having been up all night on a red-eye and being unable to sleep because this furry dragon is still dancing to drums. Part of me wishes the festival would stop so I could go to sleep. But then I remember why I’m on this journey and how extremely lucky I am that on my first day I stumble into this. Games litter the downtown, participants wear traditional clothing, local celebrities sing famous tunes on stage, and most of the city has probably come by to be involved in the festivities. I’ve wandered through all of it today and I couldn’t be happier. If I hadn’t started this journey I probably never would have considered this sort of thing was happening somewhere in the world. I never would have made this amazing connection with a city and its inhabitants a world away. Despite my heavy eyelids, I’m glad that I’m here; and I’m glad I could share it with you.