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The Mid-Autumn festival is a day to commemorate family unity and prayer for a successful crop season the following year. Like China, Vietnam is also an agricultural country and has taken its share in worshipping the sun and moon for luck and fortune. On this day and those preceding it, family and friends gather, enjoying each others’ presence and wishing each other success and good fortune. Children roam the streets, filling it with light, color, and laughter. Parents also take this day off from their busy work schedules to dedicate time to their children. They buy their children toys, lanterns, prepare special meals, and tell them folktales about the moon and success. Although the same celebration, the Vietnamese have created their own renditions about the moon and its history, aside from the Chinese folktales. They also have stories of carps and dragons, which parents tell their children to encourage them to work hard in school. Although not as widely celebrated here in America, this celebration that has been passed on from generation to generation has gradually made its way to the United States where many Asians have resided.
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