Anyone who has visited China in late August and early September cannot fail to have noticed people selling mooncakes. These Chinese delicacies are traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival or Zhōngqiū jié [中秋節].

The festival itself is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar. Various traditions surround the festival including one of giving thanks to a bountiful harvest.

The festival is also a chance for families and friends to gather, drink tea, eat food and of course indulge in the eating of mooncake.

Mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable part of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration which is one of the four most important Chinese festivals [The others being the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Lantern Festival].

The cakes consist of a pastry case with a filling of such as red bean paste, nuts or even meat. Traditional varieties often have a lotus seed paste filling with a duck egg yolk placed in the centre to symbolise the moon.

All across China people will give boxes of the cakes to friends and families as gifts. In fact some may find themselves inundated with such gifts and be snacking on the cakes well after the festival has come and gone.

Aside of the consumption of cake people will often take to lantern festooned streets to watch lion or dragon dances, though such festivities are mainly practiced in southern China.

In some parts of China, dances are held for young men and women to find partners. Young women may be encouraged to throw a handkerchief into a crowd. The young man who catches and returns the handkerchief is said to have a chance at romance.

Historically the festival is inextricably linked to the legends of Chang E, the mythical Moon Goddess of Immortality. According to "Li-Ji", an ancient Chinese book recording customs and ceremonies, the Chinese Emperor should offer sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn.

Practices described above, as well as the history associated with the festival, are slowly being forgotten in modern China.

Indeed just like Christmas in the West, the Mid-Autumn festival is becoming more a commercial enterprise to sell as many mooncakes as possible. Though, for mooncake lovers there’s little to complain about.

China’s new year celebrations came to an end this week culminating with the Lantern Festival which this year fell on Valentine’s Day.

Lantern Festival, or Yuánxiāo jié [元宵节], falls on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar year in the lunar calendar and marks the last day of the lunar New Year celebration. During the Lantern Festival, children often go out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns.

But the most familiar sight is the millions of firecrackers and fireworks that are lit at the end of the two week long festivities. Of course one cannot fail to notice the many lanterns, red to symbolize good fortune, that are festooned all over towns across the country.

As well as letting off fireworks, many people celebrate with baijiu, a strong spirit made from sorghum, lavish meals and snacks.

One such snack is yuanxiao, or rice dumplings, thus the festival may also be referred to as the Yuanxiao Festival.

Yuanxiao [元宵] also has another name, tāngyuán [汤圆], which are small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour containing a filling of rose petals, sesame, bean paste, jujube paste, walnut paste or dried fruit.

As well as gorging themselves on dumplings people will also enjoy performances such as dragon lantern dances, lion dances, the beating of drums and other displays, all this as the first full moon enters the New Year and lights up the night sky.

With this year’s festival falling on Valentine’s Day, the first time in 19 years, many younger Chinese couples were also romancing their loved ones under the full moon. Indeed the main dilemma amongst some netizens was whether to celebrate with tangyuan or chocolate.

Valentine’s Day might not be a traditional festival, but it is fast becoming as popular as the many Chinese festivals that are celebrated each year across China. In fact due to the rare "dual holiday," in Hong Kong this year, twice as many couples - nearly 500 according to some reports - registered to be married on Valentine's Day as they did last year.

However you celebrated either festival, Oriental Skye wishes all our followers a great Year of the Horse.