Phạm Trường Hà
Welcome to the most authentic Mid-Autumn Festival experience in the Pacific Northwest!
Join Lan Su to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with a bustling market place of local Asian businesses, mouth-watering food, and fun cultural performances. As the moon glows and the lanterns are raised, stay for illuminated lion dances, rabbit meet & greet, story time, and adorable rabbit lantern sculptures from China!
We are expecting over 1000 daily visitors. Get advanced tickets today to skip the line at Mid-Autumn Festival Moonlight Market.
Complimentary parking for event attendees is available on Block 24, adjacent to the garden between NW Flanders and Glisan. Access the parking lot via NW 3rd Ave. First come first serve basis.
PURCHASE TICKETS SATURDAY, AUGUST 31st »
PURCHASE TICKETS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1st »
Daily Festival Highlights – August 31 & September 1, 2024
- Local Food, Merchandise, and Nonprofit Vendors
Food Vendors: Yoonique Tea, Pure Spice, Red Robe Teahouse, Excellent Cuisine (HK Cafe), Goodies, Mía 102, Kookidocookies
Merchandise Vendors: Strawberry Paint Shop, Sheila Wong, AJE Pottery, Kiss of Polynesia, Ye Jia Beads, Stumptown Otaku
Nonprofit Vendors: Oregon Chinese Coalition, Japanese American Museum of Oregon, Chinese Friendship Association of Portland, Multnomah County Library, Portland Chinatown Museum, CCBA, thai tails
- Mid-Autumn Rabbit Lantern Viewing
- Daytime & Illuminated Roving Dancing Lions »
- Mid-Autumn Story Time »
- Chinese Music Demonstration »
- Chinese Calligraphy Demonstration
- Moon Rabbit Meet & Greet »
Day Passes – Daily Event Tickets
2:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Saturday, August 31 & Sunday, September 1
Lan Su Member – $20.00; Adult – $27.00; Senior (ages 62 and older) – $20.00; Student (ages 18+ with valid school ID) – $18.00; Youth (ages 6-18) – $15.00; Child (ages 5 and younger) – FREE
EBT Cardholder – $10.00. Limited availability only at Lan Su Ticket Booth. Show your EBT Card to purchase. Up to 4 tickets per cardholder.
Read before Purchase
Events will go on as scheduled rain, shine or cold. No outside food, beverages, or chairs allowed. No exchanges or refunds. The only authorized sales venues for Mid-Autumn Festival Moonlight Market tickets are the official website of Lan Su Chinese Garden (www.lansugarden.org) and the garden’s physical Ticket Booth during public business hours. Tickets cannot be purchased over the phone. Any other re-sale ticket purchases made are strictly at your own risk and will not be honored. Advanced purchase of tickets online is highly encouraged as capacity is extremely limited.
The Mid-Autumn Festival
Zhong Qiu Jie (中秋節), a.k.a. the Mid-Autumn Festival, is considered as one of the most important Chinese holidays.
WHEN is Mid-Autumn Festival?
Traditionally Mid-Autumn takes place on the fifteenth day of the eight month of the lunar calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the time of the “Harvest Moon” when the moon appears at its fullest during the autumnal equinox. The image of a full moon symbolizes a happy family reunion.
WHO celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival?
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important holidays in China and is recognized and celebrated by ethnic Chinese around the world. Similar holidays are celebrated in Japan (Tsukimi), Korea (Chuseok), Vietnam (Tết Trung Thu), and other countries in East and Southeast Asia.
WHICH food is the iconic Mid-Autumn Festival treat?
Traditionally, popular Mid-Autumn Festival foods include Pomelo, pumpkin, taro, osmanthus wine, and hairy crabs. But the must-eat treat? Moon cakes! Moon cakes (or “yue bing” in Chinese) are a type of Chinese cake with a sweet fillings like bean paste, lotus seed paste, nuts, and savory duck eggs. It is typically eaten with tea and shared with loved ones, under a beautiful full moon.
There is another moon cake origin story: In late Yuan Dynasty, people could not bear the cruel rule of the court. Zhu Yuanzhang, the leader of Ming, united various resistance forces to prepare for the uprising. But it was hard to deliver military message secretly. The smart rebels came up with an idea that put the note writing “ Uprising on the 15th night of 8th lunar month” into the mooncakes, and then sent them to other resistance forces. On the day of the uprising, the uprising troops from different places got together and fight against the Yuan troop. Soon the uprising succeeded and Zhu Yuanzhang presented mooncakes to the ministers as gifts. It is said that since then the custom of eating mooncakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival was formed.
WHO are the Moon Goddess and the Moon Rabbit?
In Chinese mythology the Moon Goddess is named Chang’e, 嫦娥. There are many stories about Chang’e, including the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Chang’e was a beautiful woman married to an archer named Houyi 后羿. 10 suns had risen into the sky and were scorching the earth, so Houyi shot down 9 of them, leaving just 1 sun in the sky. As a reward Houyi was given 2 elixirs that would grant immortality which he gave to Chang’e to keep safe. While he was out hunting his apprentice tried to steal the elixirs. To keep the elixirs from the evil apprentice, Chang’e drank them and became immortal. She then flew to the moon so she could still be close to her husband. (Some versions of the story say that Chang’e stole the elixirs from her husband and escaped to the moon so he couldn’t find her). When Houyi found out, he made an alter and filled it with his wife’s favorite fruits and cakes, and then took his own life. This is why when the full Moon appears during Mid-Autumn some people will set up an alter for the worship of Chang’e with fruits and pastries.
Chang’e also has a companion with her, the Moon Rabbit 月兔, or Jade Rabbit 玉兔. In many Southeast Asian cultures, The Moon Rabbit sits with the Moon Goddess and creates herbs and elixirs in his mortar and pestle. If you look up at the full moon you might be able to see the outline of the Moon Rabbit hard at work!
Mid-Autumn Festival Moonlight Market is a festival produced by Lan Su Chinese Garden and sponsored by:
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