{"id":609957,"date":"2026-09-24T05:40:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T05:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/609957\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T05:40:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T05:40:14","slug":"how-new-zealands-asian-communities-celebrate-a-mid-autumn-festival-in-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/609957\/","title":{"rendered":"How New Zealand\u2019s Asian communities celebrate a mid-autumn festival in spring"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asian communities nationwide are marking mid-autumn celebrations in their own ways.<\/p>\n

The celebrations fall on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, a time traditionally associated with harvests and a full moon in the Northern Hemisphere.<\/p>\n

In Auckland, a three-day Moon Festival<\/a> is poised to begin on Friday.<\/p>\n

The event marks the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival, known as Zhongqiu Jie (\u4e2d\u79cb\u8282) in Chinese, one of the most important celebrations in the Chinese calendar.<\/p>\n

\"Moon<\/p>\n

Lanterns play a prominent role in Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations.<\/p>\n

RNZ \/ Liu Chen<\/p>\n

However, the festival is only one expression of much broader traditions.<\/p>\n

South Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese communities across the country are also observing the season through customs shaped by their own history, food and family rituals.<\/p>\n

In Vietnam, the celebration is called T\u1ebft Trung Thu and is often described as a festival for children.<\/p>\n

This year, T\u1ebft Trung Thu falls on Friday.<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

Children are the centre of attention during T\u1ebft Trung Thu in Vietnam.<\/p>\n

Photo by Mai Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng<\/p>\n

In Lower Hutt, the Vietnamese community plans to mark the occasion a day later with the Moonlit Memories Festival at Te Mako Naenae Community Centre.<\/p>\n

Vinh Nguyen, director of event organiser Viet Hub NZ, said the festival would give the wider community a chance to experience the atmosphere of celebrations he remembered from childhood.<\/p>\n

Activities are set to include lion dancing, b\u00e1nh Trung Thu (mooncakes), star lanterns, Vietnamese crafts and masks, children\u2019s games, storytelling, food and cultural performances.<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

New Zealand\u2019s Vietnamese community gathers to celebrate T\u1ebft Trung Thu at this time of year.<\/p>\n

Photo by L\u00ea Anh<\/p>\n

Nguyen said the festival had long held a special place in Vietnamese culture.<\/p>\n

He said the celebration allowed Vietnamese children growing up in New Zealand to maintain a connection to tradition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that says a lot about the migrant experience. Home may look different now, but our stories, traditions and memories travel with us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I hope our children grow up knowing that they don\u2019t have to choose between being Kiwi and being Vietnamese. They can be both and be proud of both.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A cultural performance during Chuseok celebrations in Auckland.<\/p>\n

Photo by University of Canterbury Students’ Association<\/p>\n

New Zealand\u2019s South Korean community celebrates Chuseok, also known as Hangawi, at the same time of year.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of South Korea\u2019s most important traditional holidays.<\/p>\n

Falling on Friday this year, Chuseok will be marked at several schools and universities across New Zealand, giving Korean students and families a chance to celebrate the holiday away from home.<\/p>\n

Long Bay College in Auckland will mark the occasion on Friday with traditional Korean food and games, while the University of Canterbury Korean Society is planning a Chuseok Festival on Saturday that will include cultural performances and activities.<\/p>\n

\"Buchaechum,<\/p>\n

Buchaechum is a traditional Korean fan dance that is typically performed during Chuseok celebrations.<\/p>\n

Photo by University of Canterbury Students’ Association<\/p>\n

Soo Jung, vice-president of the University of Canterbury Korean Society, said the festival had been held annually on campus since 2023.<\/p>\n

This year’s programme will feature samul nori (a modern form of traditional Korean percussion performed with four instruments), buchaechum (a traditional Korean fan dance), a gumdo sword arts demonstration and K-pop dance performances.<\/p>\n

Visitors will also have the chance to sample traditional festival food, including songpyeon \u2013 half-moon-shaped rice cakes with a variety of fillings, traditionally steamed over pine needles and said to symbolise growth and progress.<\/p>\n

Jung said the event would give people from across Christchurch an opportunity to experience South Korean culture and traditions together.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is definitely a great opportunity for Kiwis, and people from any background, to experience Korean culture in a fun and welcoming environment,\u201d Jung said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A cultural performance during Chuseok celebrations in Auckland.<\/p>\n

Photo by University of Canterbury Students’ Association<\/p>\n

New Zealand\u2019s Japanese community traditionally observes Tsukimi at this time of year.<\/p>\n

Literally meaning \u201cmoon viewing\u201d, Tsukimi is a centuries-old tradition of gathering to admire the large celestial body in the autumn night sky.<\/p>\n

Tsukimi falls on Friday, with celebrations including such things as poetry, traditional music and dance.<\/p>\n

Food also plays an important role.<\/p>\n

Among the best-known offerings is tsukimi dango \u2014 small round rice dumplings whose shape evokes the full moon.<\/p>\n

\"Mt<\/p>\n

Mount Albert Library hosted a Tsukimi event to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2025.<\/p>\n

Supplied \/ Mt Albert Library<\/p>\n

In Auckland, libraries and community groups are hosting a series of Tsukimi-themed events this year, bringing Japanese moon-viewing traditions to local families.<\/p>\n

At Point Chevalier Library, a Tsukimi celebration will be held on 1 October.<\/p>\n

The Japan Kauri Education Trust will also host a Japanese Moon Festival at \u014cwairaka Connecting Communities Hub on 28 September, inviting visitors to create their own rabbit-inspired kaleidoscopes and learn about the stories and traditions behind Tsukimi.<\/p>\n

This year, some community events are also bringing different cultural traditions together in a single celebration.<\/p>\n

At Epsom Community Centre, a Moon Festival on 3 October will combine Chinese and Korean traditions.<\/p>\n

Visitors will be able to make Chinese mooncakes and paper lanterns, prepare South Korean songpyeon rice cakes, try on traditional hanbok and take part in a hanbok runway.<\/p>\n

\"Lion<\/p>\n

A lion dance is performed during Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations in Auckland in 2024.<\/p>\n

RNZ \/ Yiting Lin<\/p>\n

Sanjay Pereira, manager of the community centre, said Epsom was home to a large and diverse Asian population, and that festivals tied to the lunar calendar held particular significance for many families in the area.<\/p>\n

He said he hoped the event would give Asian families a chance to reconnect with their cultures and customs, while also giving the wider community an opportunity to experience diversity.<\/p>\n

Yoona Song, a senior library and council services assistant who helped organise a Moon Festival cultural event at Botany Library on Sunday, said the celebration also brought together people from a wide range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds through traditional games and craft activities from several Asian cultures.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal was not only to celebrate the Moon Festival,\u201d Song said. \u201cWe hoped this would encourage greater cultural understanding, curiosity and appreciation within our diverse community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Asian communities mark the season in different ways, Song said events such as the Moon Festival could make those traditions more accessible to people from all backgrounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope the event encourages Aucklanders to explore and appreciate the diverse cultures that make up our community, while also fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion,\u201d Song said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Asian communities nationwide are marking mid-autumn celebrations in their own ways. The celebrations fall on the 15th day…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":609958,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-609957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/609958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}