Mid-Autumn Festival

September 11, 2003 4:33 PM

Tonight, for several Asian cultures, is the Mid-Autumn Festival. People gather to watch the full moon, tell stories, and eat mooncakes. San Francisco Chinatown is holding its own Moon Festival as well.
posted by casarkos (4 comments total)

Police are also tightening security for Thailand's notorious monthly "Full Moon Party" on the isle of Koh Phangan, which regularly attracts swarms of foreign backpackers who have lunar-lit drug experiences amid techno music and dancing on Hat Rin beach. The upcoming public rave coincides with the second anniversary of the attack on the US and may be a target for terrorists.
posted by homunculus at 5:10 PM on September 11, 2003

Thanks, casarkos. It's nice to know what people in other parts of the world will be thinking of when I'm looking at the same full moon as they are (and where I am, it's pretty spectacular tonight).
posted by carter at 7:32 PM on September 11, 2003

It's called chuseok ('chew-suck') here in Korea, and is one of the two major holidays that are anything like traditional. Everyone, almost, goes to visit their family. The drive down from Seoul to Busan (550 km, one end of the country to the other, basically), which usually takes about 6 hours, can take 12 to 18, thanks to the traffic.

I'm not goin' anywhere.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 8:01 PM on September 11, 2003

Mmmmm . . . mooncakes!
posted by wdpeck at 3:18 AM on September 13, 2003