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<p>Chinese families will celebrate the August Moon Festival today Sept. 29.  A tradition that dates back over a thousand years to the T'ang Dynasty it remains one of the most important holidays in the Chinese calendar second only to the Lunar New Year.  Also known as the Harvest Moon Festival, Lantern Festival the tradition is to celebrate with family reunions and large bountiful meals.  </p>
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<p>Similar harvest festivals with their own unique traditions also occur during the same time - in Korea during the three-day <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuseok" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chuseok</a> festival; in Vietnam during <em><a href="http://www.pongalfestival.org/tet-trung-thu-vietnam.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tet Trung Thu</a></em>; and in Japan at the <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukimi" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tsukimi festival</a>.</em></p>
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<p><strong>Dessert Mooncakes fill the refrigerated cabinets at a local supermarket </strong></p>
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<p>In the weeks leading up to the Autumn Moon Festival supermarket shelves all filled with mooncakes from overseas while local bakeries begin to churn out their own.  Mooncakes are a big part of the traditional celebration because they look like a moon when they are cut open.  Typical mooncakes are made with a lotus seed paste surrounding a salted egg yolk, other traditional varieties include mixed nuts, and winter melon. </p>
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<p><strong>Various mooncakes from overseas fill supermarket shelves weeks before the August Moon Festival</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Mochi Mooncakes are among the offerings</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Mooncakes, cookies and other baked goods are part of the celebration</strong>. </p>
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<p></p>
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