Moon Festival lights up Auckland with rich cultural traditions

Thousands flocked to Balmoral over the weekend for the Auckland Moon Festival, a three-day extravaganza celebrating the mid-autumn harvest in Asia.

The festivities, which began Friday, rank alongside the Spring Festival as one of China's most important celebrations of the year.

Also called the Mid-Autumn Festival in some parts of Asia, the celebration is traditionally observed on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. The holiday falls on 17 September this year.

Festivalgoers over the weekend braved heavy downpours on Saturday to take part in an array of cultural activities, including lantern displays, cultural performances, mooncake-making workshops, traditional Hanfu parades, and lively lion and dragon dances.

More than 40 outdoor food stalls lined Dominion Road, near Potters Park, offering a variety of Asian cuisine that delighted visitors' taste buds.

Gavin Zhang, vice-president of the Auckland Balmoral Chinese Business Association, organiser of the event, said the festival aimed to unite the community in a celebration of cultural diversity and harmony.

He said the event offered New Zealanders an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the Mid-Autumn Festival and its rich cultural significance.

"Everyone knows the Lantern Festival, they know the Spring Festival very well," Zhang said. "We want people to learn more about the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Zhang said the giant lantern display at Potters Park was one of the festival's key attractions.

Several lanterns were brought in from overseas to provide an authentic Mid-Autumn Festival experience. Among them were a three-meter inflatable mooncake, an eight-meter dragon lantern and a decorative archway designed to resemble "China Town".

"The Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes reunions and family gatherings," Zhang said. "We hope to bring this Chinese tradition to New Zealand for everyone to enjoy."

Justin Fong, 34, attended the event with his wife and two young daughters.

As a second-generation Chinese New Zealander, Fong said it offered his family an opportunity to reconnect with their Chinese heritage.

"For me, the Mid-Autumn Festival was always a big part of growing up," Fong said. "It's always, like, playing with lanterns, having moon cakes. Obviously now having my own two kids, it's nice to be able to share this culture with them."

Yanan Huo sees the Moon Festival as an opportunity for her five-year-old daughter to experience traditional Chinese customs and learn about the culture.

Having moved to New Zealand from China about 15 years ago, Huo said it was the first time he had taken her family to the Moon Festival.

The entire family was excited to celebrate the traditional Chinese event in the Southern Hemisphere.

"Even though we're in New Zealand, in the Southern Hemisphere, far from China, we're still Chinese," Huo said. "We hope our children will understand Chinese traditions, culture and music."

Huo said the Mid-Autumn Festival had always been about family reunions.

Although he cannot celebrate in person with his family in China, he planned to reach out to his parents.

"We have parents and family in China, and this festival is all about reunion," Huo said. "We're supposed to be together with them. But since we're living in New Zealand, we celebrate with local activities and events and connect with our parents through video calls to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Huo said he planned to teach his daughter about the Mid-Autumn Festival by sharing mooncakes, dressing her in traditional Chinese attire and introducing her to key festival elements such as lion and dragon dances.

Zhang hoped the Auckland Moon Festival would ultimately become a signature event on Dominion Rd.

"It can be a special event for us, for everyone, for our community," he said. "We also want to integrate into the mainstream (through the Moon Festival), helping more people understand Chinese culture and promoting cultural exchange and integration."

The Balmoral Chinese Business Association said an estimated 30,000 people attended this year's festival over the three days.