The ancients were very wise when eating moon cakes, they had to reduce rice and drink this drink.

What to prepare for Mid-Autumn Festival

The traditional Mid-Autumn Festival is usually held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month (the 15th day of the 8th lunar month). It is the traditional festival of Vietnam and some East Asian countries, so the worship on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month has many good meanings, showing gratitude and respect for ancestors.

This is also the occasion for families to gather and offer offerings to their ancestors to pray for peace, health, luck, happiness, prosperity... in life. Therefore, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month is also called the Reunion Festival, Moon-Watching Festival...

In addition, the Mid-Autumn Festival is an occasion for ancient people to look at the moon to predict the harvest and the fate of the country. According to folklore, if the autumn moon is yellow, that year will have a good harvest of silkworms. If the autumn moon is blue or green, that year will have natural disasters. If the autumn moon is bright orange, the country will prosper...

The offering tray for the 15th day of the 8th lunar month is not solemn, but it needs to be neat, cannot lack moon cakes and most importantly, sincerity. Photo from the internet.

Simple offerings for the 15th day of the 8th lunar month

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, every family prepares a respectful meal to offer to their ancestors. Then, children and grandchildren gather together, share the difficulties of daily life... become closer and love each other more.

However, for Mid-Autumn Festival (15th day of the 8th lunar month) and other 1st and 15th days, homeowners can choose to worship earlier to suit each family's circumstances. They can prepare offerings early on the 14th day of the 8th lunar month.

The offering tray for the Full Moon Festival in August does not need to be as solemn as Tet, but it needs to be clean, neat and most importantly, sincere. Depending on the family, you can choose to offer the Full Moon Festival in August with savory dishes or vegetarian dishes. In particular, the offering tray for the Full Moon Festival in August cannot lack moon cakes, sticky rice cakes, fruits, incense, flowers and candles... (if possible, offer a box of 4 moon cakes placed neatly and solemnly on the altar).

At the same time, you can prepare an additional offering tray including boiled chicken, sticky rice, vermicelli soup with mushrooms, green bean sticky rice, stir-fried beef, spring rolls... depending on the season, prepare dishes to suit your family's taste.

In general, there is no standard for worshiping the Full Moon of August. You can prepare offerings as you wish as long as they are in accordance with your family's beliefs and regional customs. Many families prepare simple offerings such as moon cakes, fruits, betel and areca nuts, wine and tea, etc., then light incense, recite prayers to the gods, and then worship their ancestors.

Incense to connect with the spiritual world is recommended by feng shui experts to use herbal incense produced by feng shui companies because the quality is guaranteed to be clean incense, helping the incense offering ritual to be spiritual, welcoming good luck, having a pleasant aroma, good for the spirit of the worshiper and family members.

Many people wonder why ancient people had to drink tea when eating moon cakes. Photo from the internet.

On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, eat moon cakes and enjoy the moon, so drink tea.

Every year when the moon rises, the village beats the drums, and groups of children carry lanterns everywhere. Adults gather together to drink green tea (or black tea), eat cakes, watch the moon, and display fruits and candies for children to play with, carry lanterns, dance with lions, and watch the moon return, then happily break the feast together... (in 2024, the North has just experienced severe flooding, so many wards and communes did not organize drums for children to carry lanterns like previous years).

But families still celebrate the festival by eating moon cakes and drinking tea to enjoy the moon. Many people wonder why people in the past had to drink tea while eating moon cakes. And what can people who are sick and have to abstain from eating moon cakes do?

This issue was answered by Doctor Thu Hang (Center for Research on Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicines on Kienthuc.net) in the following general idea: The best way to control blood sugar is to choose the right type of cake, with low sugar and fat content. You should stop at the level of tasting the flavor to control the amount of sugar entering the body.

For normal people - especially those who are losing weight, when eating moon cakes, they need to reduce rice and fat in their diet, and increase physical activity to burn calories. When eating cakes, they should drink tea - because this special drink contains a lot of acetic acid which helps break down fat.

There are many types of moon cakes for diabetics on the market. Some cakes are less sweet by using natural sugars with mild sweetness instead of sucrose. At the same time, increasing the amount of nuts such as almonds, melon seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds not only reduces sweetness but is also suitable for dieters.

On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, eating mooncakes should be accompanied by tea to be delicious and to burn off some of the energy taken into the body. Photo from the internet.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/ong-ba-ta-khi-an-banh-trung-thu-la-giam-com-va-uong-kem-thu-nuoc-nay-thao-nao-khong-ai-len-can-172240916192901551.htm