The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time to gather together with friends and family under a big, full moon. There are laterns, lion dances and of course, moon cakes! I will to tell you about Taiwan's favorite way to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival: barbecue!
All over Taiwan, whole cities smell like barbecue as families gather together around grills to cook meat and vegetables. These are small, flat charcoal grills. Since many people live in apartments, they sometimes go to parks or other public places. You can even see people setting up barbecue grills on the sidewalk!
People started barbecuing for Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1980s. Why? One theory is that a really successful ad by a soy sauce company made it popular. The ad said "A family’s barbecue fragrances the whole neighbourhood.” And it's true!
It's traditional to gather together outside to appreciate the moon, so it makes sense to go to a park or public place for the holiday. The weather is usually much nicer as well, so it's the perfect set up for an evening barbecue with your friends and family!
