Kid-Friendly Guide to Mid-Autumn Festival 2024 in Singapore

Here’s our guide to understanding the history and traditions of the Mooncake Festival aka Mid-Autumn Festival 2024 in Singapore

Mid-Autumn Festival is packed with kid-friendly activities, making it a great holiday to celebrate with the whole family! We’ve got the lowdown on the history of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the food (yes mooncakes here we come!), the Mid-Autumn events around town and a couple of ideas for fun things you can do with your kids – from Mid-Autumn arts and crafts to making your own playdough mooncakes!

When is the Mid-Autumn 2024?

Celebrated annually around September or October, Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15^th day of the 8^th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. This year Mid Autumn Festival 2024 takes place on Tuesday 17 September 2024. The Mid-Autumn Festival day is not a public holiday in Singapore.

A Bit of History About the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival dates back to the Song dynasty in China, over 2000 years ago, and was traditionally a time to give thanks to the gods in the belief that this would bring a plentiful harvest the following year. The festival also commemorates the legend of Chang’E, a selfless woman who drank the elixir of immortality to save the country from her ruthless husband and, in doing so, floated up to the moon to live forever. Legend had it that Chang’E blesses her worshippers with beauty, so people lit lanterns in her honour (and to make sure that she could see them clearly from the sky). Another legend tells the story of Buddha, who disguises himself as an old man and asks three animals for help. The fox catches a fish for him, and the monkey brings him some fruit, but the rabbit sacrifices itself as food. In gratitude, Buddha resurrects the rabbit and sends it to the moon to be honoured.

These days, Mid-Autumn Festival has become a time to celebrate the moon, food, family and friends. Since the Mid-Autumn Festival is about lunar appreciation when the moon is said to be at its brightest, celebrations ramp up once the sun goes down.

Historically, people used paper lanterns lit with candles to light their way in the evenings as they and their families went out for moon-viewing parties. Nowadays they tend to be plastic, battery operated (safety first right, mamas?), and come in every shape and cartoon character you can think of. Beware that some come with electronic tunes that play non-stop!

Mid-Autumn Festival Events

Singapore usually puts on a bunch of fun Mid-Autumn Festival events. From huge colourful lantern displays at Gardens by the Bay to the Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall with workshops and live performances. Read our guide to Mid Autumn Events in Singapore here.

Feasting for Mid-Autumn Festival: Mooncakes

A big part of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival is buying and eating mooncakes! We love the pretty patterned baked mooncakes and the delicate snow skin ones in a palette of pastel colours. Business partners and friends share gifts of mooncakes during this time. But why mooncakes? Legend has it that mooncakes helped to free Yuan China from Mongol rule. These baked treats were used by rebels to pass messages hidden inside them which culminated in a successful uprising.

Here’s our guide on where to buy the best mooncakes in Singapore for 2024!

Mid-Autumn Festival: Teaching Gratitude

The Mid-Autumn period is a time to be grateful for what you have, your relationships and your fortunes – it’s never too early to start fostering gratitude in kids. There are also some lovely children’s books about the Mid-Autumn Festival, including Happy Mooncake Festival, Elena! by Dingli Stevens. This cute book is perfect for kids who want to know more about the Mooncake Festival, the different types of mooncakes, and how lanterns are made.

Kid-Friendly Mid-Autumn Activities & Crafts

Get your kids to make mooncakes! Lots of shops sell mooncake moulds in Chinatown, or try a baking shop like Phoon Huat or Bake King. Little kids will love making playdough mooncakes in lots of different colours. Don’t have playdough at home? Make your own with our easy recipe and video here.

You can also get crafty using them as stamps and making your own paper lanterns at home. Check out our nifty Mid-Autumn Festival craft guide here.

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