Hi there! It’s Ayamaama.

September 10th was the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Moon. In Japan, it’s mostly just something you hear about in the news, and there aren’t any special celebrations or traditions observed by the general public. However, many Chinese-Malaysians do mark the occasion with modest festivities. It’s not a grand event, but rather a time for families to enjoy a slightly more lavish meal together. In households with children, it’s also common to see kids playing around with lanterns.

Our family also visited my husband’s siblings’ house to enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival moon! 😊

In the front left, you have char siu (roasted pork), and in the front right, a whole chicken that has been cut up. These were purchased by my mother-in-law at the market early in the morning as offerings to the gods, and we enjoy them as our dinner.

The top brown soup is Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (known as Butchōshō in Japanese). This is a luxurious traditional Fujian soup made by simmering high-end ingredients, primarily dried goods such as abalone, oysters, scallop adductor muscle, chicken, sea cucumber, and shiitake mushrooms.

Legend has it that the name comes from the fact that the aroma was so delicious that even the monks couldn’t resist jumping over the temple walls to investigate.

That’s right, the food is delicious, of course, but

The soup, brimming with the savory essence of seafood dashi, is absolutely delicious 🤤🤤🤤

It’s so delicious I’d finish the whole thing! 😆😆😆 This is a soup that anyone living in Malaysia should try at least once.

↑ These are the dried ingredients in the soup. Fish guts? They were springy and delicious, having absorbed all the flavorful broth.

This is a whole chicken 🐔 I cut it up for the first time this time 😅 It was a bit tricky to cut up a whole bird with bones, but I managed to do it. We don’t eat the chicken’s head, but my mother-in-law instructed me to “please plate it up,” so I’ve arranged it on a dish. I’m grateful for the chicken’s life 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

This chicken was simply boiled in salted water. I eat it with a sauce made by pouring soy sauce over finely chopped ginger and garlic. The sauce is so delicious. I’ll write a blog post about it next time!

Char siu. I sliced up a ready-made piece thinly. This was another thing I tried for the first time after coming to Malaysia, and it’s packed with a savory saltiness—absolutely delicious! It pairs amazingly well with beer 😆

Sweet chili shrimp. This is also delicious, so I’ll write a blog post about how to make it someday!

Stir-fried vegetables. This is seasoned with a seafood sauce at the end, and it’s so delicious because it’s flavored with condiments you won’t find in ordinary Japanese supermarkets—I’ll write a blog post about how to make it someday!

After enjoying a delicious meal, we spent the evening admiring the moon while surrounded by glowing lanterns. In the past, like in Japan, the Chinese community here used to place lit candles inside traditional paper lanterns, but nowadays, electric versions are also common. The four lanterns on the left in the photo are electric, while the two on the right are the classic paper type.

Older-style lanterns come in two main types: traditional paper ones and vinyl ones. The rabbit in the center is the electric version.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, it’s said that lots of candles are lined up on the floor. Back in the day, they used to line up even more!

The kids strolled around with lanterns, picking up treats from neighbors (no ghosts, but it felt like a Chinese-style Halloween 🎃😆), and set off fireworks,

To wrap things up, the neighborhood kids came over to my husband’s brother’s house to play. The kids must have had a blast～😊

The Mid-Autumn Festival moon viewing was a fun event for the kids! I also got to experience a lively Chinese-style celebration alongside them.

I did get to see the moon, too. It was a perfect full moon.

See you next time～👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻