All you need to know about this celebration of bountiful harvests
When the Mid-Autumn Festival rolls around in Singapore, two things come alive: colourful lanterns and scrumptious mooncakes. Also known as the Moon Festival, this cultural affair in the Chinese calendar marks the end of the autumn harvest. It traditionally falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar when the moon is the fullest and brightest – or so lunar legends have it. This year, it falls on September 29. Get the full lowdown on the festival that has been celebrated since the early Tang dynasty with our guide.
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There are various myths and legends that surround the festival’s genesis. One dates back to the story of the wife of a merciless king, Chang E, who drained her husband’s elixir of immortality to save the people from his tyrannical rule before making her way to the moon. Others include Chinese emperors in the Zhou dynasty (1045-221 BC) obsessively worshipping the moon in the hopes of producing a bumper crop in the following year.
Families usually gather to indulge in the sweet treats – either baked or steamed – best paired with hot tea. Most mooncakes are filled with salted egg yolk as the yolk is said to represent the full moon and their round shape symbolises reunion. Legend also has it that they were used to carry secret messages from the Han Chinese to overthrow the Mongolian rulers.
Other varieties of the mooncake include the non-baked snow skin mooncake which comes in various flavours from chocolate to durian. They are also packed in gorgeous gift boxes to present to friends and families.
The party don't start till the moon walks in. Come night time, lanterns of all shapes and sizes are illuminated. You can join in the festive spirit of Mid-Autumn Festival at places like Chinatown and Gardens by the Bay – where your nights are bound to be extra lit. The celebration is also amped up with lantern parades, dragon dances, and traditional Chinese performances.
THE LOWDOWN Expertly handcrafted by Raffles master chefs, the mooncakes are known for their ingenuity and creativity in the flavour department. This year, the hotel presents two new snow skin flavours; sakura and raspberry truffle; and yam and coconut rum truffle. It comes paired with beloved signatures of the Baileys chocolate truffle and yuzu osmanthus truffle snow skins. The premium cream pearl box is embellished with intricate caricatures of the iconic architecture which makes for great gifts.
WHAT WE LOVE The timeless champagne truffle snow skin is a perennial favourite. Filled with velvety white lotus paste, the classic aroma of the signature still remains unchanged for decades.
THE LOWDOWN Delicately prepared by the Michelin-starred Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro’s established culinary team, the luxury mooncake collection aims to represent the beauty of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Available in three options including a mini snowskin selection of eight pieces, the boxes of four signature pieces come with a bottle of Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2018 or Devaux Cuvée D, also in rosé.
WHAT WE LOVE There is a new flavour to consider, the Charcoal Black Sesame Paste with Sakura Prawn, Pistachio and Melon Seeds which is a marriage of sweet and savoury flavours. And the intricate and detailed boxes themselves are a work of art.
ORDER HERE If you’re a DBS/ POSB Bank, UOB Bank, Citibank Singapore, Maybank or American Express cardholder, enjoy early bird discounts (until 3 September) with 30% off all mooncakes. From 4 September onwards, the discount still applies but at 25% off all mooncakes.
THE LOWDOWN Besides the bestselling Mao Shan Wang durian snow skin mooncakes, Pan Pacific Singapore’s Hai Tien Lo is debuting four new tea-inspired flavours in the snow skin selection: the exquisite strawberry No.1 tea; white rabbit candy and yam ganache; orange matcha ganache; and the coconut gula melaka ganache. Traditions aren’t forgotten too, with the baked mooncake range featuring classic lotus paste and black sesame flavours.
WHAT WE LOVE If you need a gift to impress, opt for the premium four treasures gift set (from $94) which comes with a beautifully crafted teapot set or a bottle of Taittinger Brut Réserve Champagne, all in an auspicious red leatherette bag.
THE LOWDOWN Look forward to a series of limited-edition treats with the Shangri-La Mooncake Selection Gift Box ($148), a set that spotlights 50-year-old aged mandarin peel, mixed with red bean paste and dried rose petals or chestnut. For the traditionalists, stick with the Shang Palace Four Treasures ($84), which comes with lotus in single and double yolk, crafted with reduced sugar, mixed nuts with chicken ham, and plain white lotus. Even the young ones aren’t forgotten – sample the Lego-inspired mooncake brick set ($59) featuring bite-sized bakes flavoured with chocolate and chocolate chips.
WHAT WE LOVE This year, black is the new gold as seen from the gold-dusted mung bean spirulina bird’s nest charcoal mooncakes ($138, 4 pcs). These expertly crafted morsels come in an opulent red cylinder box embellished with golden peonies which makes great for gifting.
THE LOWDOWN Singapore’s darling chocolatier Janice Wong debuts her mid-autumn collection around three themes: chocolate mooncakes inspired by childhood memories; Japan-inspired baked mooncakes; and a floral snow skin. These artful morsels are sold in two gifting formats. First, a nostalgic red tin decorated with rabbits and moon motifs (from $22). The second is a geometric lantern mooncake box where eight assorted mooncakes are presented as a grander gesture.
WHAT WE LOVE Chocolate is synonymous with the homegrown confectionery brand and there’s no better way to capture the essence of a contemporary mid-autumn festival than with these chocolate mooncakes. From peanut butter Snickers and vanilla Biscoff to salted pecan dark chocolate, these lip-smacking flavours are every sweet tooth’s kryptonite.
THE LOWDOWN Celebrating its tenth anniversary presenting innovative omakase creation in Singapore, chef Kenjiro Hashida unveils two exquisitely crafted snow skin mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn festival. The first flavour is inspired by sakura flowers where the petals are blended with smooth Japanese white bean paste and paired with a silky sweet gooseberry jam. The other honours the lemon fruit with velvety Japanese eggplants for a subtly refreshing flavour.
WHAT WE LOVE Each mooncake is steeped in Japanese tradition where only custom moulds are used to shape each disc. The Hashida logo and family crest are both featured in the designs as it carries the legacy and culinary heritage of the family since the 60’s. It also comes in a thoughtfully packaged deep cobalt blue box wrapped in the art of Furoshiki.
THE LOWDOWN Classics with a twist – that's InterContinental Singapore's innovative spin on tradition. Aside from the perennial lotus classics, the heritage hotel is unveiling four new tea-based handcrafted snow skin mooncakes with chocolate truffle centres: honeysuckle flower with chrysanthemum, black tea violet flower, osmanthus honey magnolia flower, and chamomile tea rose flower. This grand collection ($104) also comes encased in a sexy scarlet red leatherette box that can be refashioned into a crossbody bag.
WHAT WE LOVE The Negroni lychee chocolate truffle snow skin mooncake ($118) stands in a league of its own; a decadent combination of luscious white lotus seed paste and Negroni truffle centre. Think soft chewy mochi-like snowskin and sweet lotus balanced with the Negroni-esque citrusy and herbaceous bitterness. This is an innovative creation that is not to be missed.
ORDER HERE Early bird 20 percent to 25 percent off on selected mooncakes until September 10.
THE LOWDOWN Homegrown pastry shop Thye Moh Chan is best known for its inimitable traditional Teochew mooncakes. Made from time-honoured recipes that date back to 1943, the hand-crafted morsels are without a doubt a firm favourite amongst the young and old. There are six signature flavours including the classic salty bean paste with salted egg, sweet bean paste with melon seeds and the mao shan wang durian. For its 80th anniversary, the stalwart debuts two new flavours of jasmine salted egg yolk and pistachio mung bean.
WHAT WE LOVE The brand stays true to its Teochew roots and preserves the art of freshly-made traditional Teochew confectionery. It also seeks innovative ways to share the culture with a greater audience. This year’s exquisite box reveals an intricate paper cut-out storied timeline to honour the age of opera.
THE LOWDOWN The stalwart is known for its wide range of traditional baked and snow skin mooncakes. This year, pineapple and custard snow skin (from $50) headlines the lot with its creamy custard and zingy pineapple jam combination. The innovation doesn’t stop there as the hotel brings back firm snow skin favourites (from $50) from previous years in flavours such as the ondeh-ondeh, cempedek, mango pomelo, and the alluring blue pea flower with melon seed. For mooncake purists, look forward to the time-honoured combination of assorted nuts (almond, walnut, cashew, sesame, and melon seed) luxed up with premium ham, housed-roasted char siew and candied winter melon (from $63).
WHAT WE LOVE The durian combo ($120) is made just for fans of the pungent fruit. It comes packaged as an exquisite quartet featuring four durian variants; bittersweet Mao Shan Wang, heady Black Thorn, D88 and a new aromatic Pheonix.
THE LOWDOWN These petite snow skin mooncakes (from $42) are all about bringing back nostalgic flavours. Inspired by timeless desserts, the pastel-hued confections feature familiar tastes of pulut hitam, roasted chestnut, gula melaka and the well-loved Macau peanut candy. Besides that, this year’s exclusive Teochew-style flaky taro mooncake ($68, 6pcs) is only limited to the first 300 boxes with an advance order of 3 days if you’re purchasing online.
WHAT WE LOVE The alluring jade green boxes adorned with intricate rattan lattices keep it classy without being too over the top – perfect understated gift. As for the snow skin mooncakes, we appreciate the petite serving sizes as it helps save tummy space so you can try all eight varieties at once.
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THE LOWDOWN Take your pick from the signature offerings from Yan – four of its traditional mooncakes go for $76, including the popular thousand-layer yam mooncake, where flaky, buttery pastry comes stuffed with smooth yam paste. Other highlights include the traditional white lotus paste variant with single or double salted egg yolk, or macadamia nuts.
WHAT WE LOVE Jazz up the set with a range of classic accompaniments that help cleanse the palate after each bite. The tea pairing option (from $38) comes in two flavours: melon oolong and cassia black.
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