I’m not ready to think about fall, but the full moon on September 19 marks the Mid-Autumn Moon festival, or Têt Trung Thu in Vietnamese. This family friendly harvest celebration requires stuffing ourselves with delicious food, especially moon cakes. Once it’s dark enough, children light paper lanterns (don’t worry, we use electric candles now) and sing songs.
Speaking of treats, I recently discovered Godiva Chocolate Mooncakes. Yes, you read that right! A friend sent me a box and of course the kids wanted to taste every single flavor. We ate the entire box for dessert one night. Don’t judge us. Godiva Chocolate Mooncakes are available in select west coast locations or online.
Want to celebrate at home? Check out my post with books and other ways to celebrate The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.
If you’re the DC metro area, there are some upcoming family friendly festivals you can check out. While you’re there you can get your fill of eggrolls, banh mi, and more.
- Tet Trung Thu 25th Anniversary September 15 from 12PM-4PM I haven’t been to this festival before but am told is very kid friendly. There will be performances, games, inflatables, photobooths and more. Admission is free and all kids will receive a free lantern. This festival is in Arlington, VA. Visit the Facebook event page for details.
- Eden Center, Falls Church, VA September 21 at 2PM-8PM. Eden Center is the biggest Vietnamese shopping center in the DC Metro area. There will cultural performances and of course plenty of places to buy and eat Vietnamese snacks. Make sure you bring cash because many of the vendors (especially my favorite banh mi place) do not accept credit cards. There’s usually a lantern parade after dark. Admission is free, but calculate an extra 15-20 minutes to find a parking space. It gets crowded there fast!
I think I’m going to make some banh mi to celebrate on the actual festival day, since it’s a school night.
Do you celebrate any fall festivals?