Balancing the Yin and Yang with Mooncakes

The Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated with mooncakes, lanterns, and family gatherings, is one of the most cherished holidays in Chinese culture. But what many of us may not know is how it also ties deeply into the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). At its heart, the Mid-Autumn Festival is about balance—a concept central to both the festive occasion and TCM.

One fun fact about this connection is the symbolism behind mooncakes. In TCM, food is often classified based on their energy properties—either yin (cooling) or yang (warming). The ingredients in mooncakes, such as lotus seeds and salted egg yolks, are carefully chosen to create a harmonious balance between yin and yang energies within the body.

During autumn, when the weather begins to cool and the yin energy starts to dominate, it is essential to nourish the body's yang energy to maintain equilibrium.Mooncakes, with their rich fillings, provide just the right balance of nourishing ingredients to help restore this natural harmony of our body. This balance mirrors the symbolic meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival per se— to celebrate unity and harmony — like the round, full moon represents wholeness and completeness.

As what we talked about earlier, lotus seeds are considered cooling in TCM and help calm the mind, whilst the salted egg yolks are warming and grounding. For us celebrating, it is more than just indulging in delicious mooncakes or admiring the beauty of the full moon. It is about taking this opportunity to reconnect with mother nature, realign the body's energies with the changing season, and foster overall well-being.

by Jingzi 2024-09-17