Assemblyman Leland Yee: Chinese Custom Continues

For thousands of years, Chinese communities worldwide have celebrated the arrival of the mid-autumn moon. In Guangzhou, located in southern China, thousands of lanterns are lit in a festival of light to honor the moon. In eastern China, revelers gather along the banks of the Qiantang River to watch the tides roll in, increased by the gravitational pull of the moon.

No matter how the moon festival is celebrated, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival marks a time for friends and family, bountiful harvests and paying respect to the rhythms and cycles of the Earth. To the Chinese community, the moon's waxing and waning symbolizes the cycles of parting and reuniting. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is a time to reunite with loved ones who you may not see every day.

Many families hold banquets, and then gather together in the community for parties or performances with friends. If you cannot be near your loved ones, it is a good time to call or write to let them know they are in your thoughts. Additionally, the fall equinox coincides with the harvest - the time of year when fruits, nuts, grains and other staples are most bountiful.

Many cultures celebrate the harvest by giving thanks for their food. The Chinese are no exception. The festival is a time to eat, relax and reflect on our many blessings.

Living in the Sunset District, you may have noticed the seasonal appearance of moon cakes - intricately designed golden pastries filled with sweet red beans, lotus-seed paste, nuts or dates - in bakeries and shops along Irving Street. Some cakes contain one or more salted egg yolks. While the yolks are an acquired taste for some, they symbolize luck, fertility and the autumn moon's golden glow.

These traditions and the message they carry mean a great deal to the Chinese community, and I feel it is important to celebrate them locally, as well as to share them across cultures.

This year, I am pleased to support the Sunset Residents Association in the first annual Autumn Moon Festival Community celebration to be held in the Sunset. The free street festival is on Sunday, Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., along Irving Street between 23rd and 25th avenues. Please join me and your neighbors for a day of food and celebration. The event will feature performances by local artists, food will be provided by local merchants and, of course, there will be the opportunity to sample delicious varieties of moon cakes.

For more information, please call the Sunset Residents Association at (415) 664-8749. I hope to see you there.

Assemblyman Leland Yee is the speaker pro tempore at the California Assembly.