Tết Trung Thu, also known as Mid-Autumn Festival, is a popular festival in Vietnam, mostly for kids. Trung means middle or average. Thu means Autumn/Fall. Trung Thu means Mid-Autumn in Vietnamese.
What is Tết Trung Thu?
Tết Trung Thu is a festival mostly for kids. Kids would gather at places where the mid-autumn festival is held. They would bring along their lồng đèn (or đèn lồng) and play traditional games.
Around Tết Trung Thu, you will find many places that sell bánh trung thu (mooncake). Bánh means cake, trung thu means mid-autumn, as mentioned above. Literal translation of bánh trung thu is mid-autumn cake, but it is commonly known in English as mooncake. These cakes are only available around this time so when you see stores starting to sell bánh trung thu, it usually means Tết Trung Thu is coming soon.
When is Tết Trung Thu – Mid-Autumn Festival?
Tết Trung Thu is often held on the 15th of August (lunar calendar). Because it is based on the lunar calendar, the date is different every year.
Tết Trung Thu vs Tết
While Tết Trung Thu has the word Tết in its name, do not confuse Tết Trung Thu with Tết, the biggest holiday in Vietnam. When Vietnamese people say “Tết,” “Tết này,” or “ăn Tết,” they refer to Tết – the Vietnamese Luna New Year.
Đèn lồng
Đèn lồng means lantern. The lanterns that the kids bring to these festivals come in all shapes and sizes, from star-shaped to animals, etc. There are also battery-powered lanterns as well.
Do you get a day off on Tết Trung Thu?
While Tết Trung Thu is a popular festival, it is not considered a national holiday. Unlike the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, you don’t get a day off for Tết Trung Thu. People still have to go to work, and kids still have to go to school. The festival happens after work and school, in the evening and lasts into the night.
Tết Trung Thu celebration
Different places may hold their own mid-autumn festivals. Check your local events. It is an event for kids, but adults can also enjoy the sight of different lanterns, decorations, and activities at these festivals.
People also often give boxes of bánh trung thu to each other as gifts during this period.
Bánh trung thu
Bánh trung thu is known as mooncake.
Kids are not the only ones who get to enjoy Tết Trung Thu. Adults can also get to enjoy this delicacy called bánh trung thu that is only available during Tết Trung Thu season.
People usually buy mooncakes during Tết Trung Thu season to either give away as gifts or enjoy them at home.
It is usually available a few weeks before Tết Trung Thu, all the way to Tết Trung Thu. Sometimes, you can find them after Tết Trung Thu if the stores can’t sell them all before Tết Trung Thu is over. Interestingly enough, you can also find mooncakes in Costco off season.