Mid-Autumn Festival: Hakka people enjoy family bonding time

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The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of several major Chinese holidays, but for the Hakkas, it is the most important. The group, most of whom live in southern China's Guangdong province, make it their top annual ritual. CGTN's Cui Hui'ao visits one Hakka family in Meizhou to explore their customs.

For 43-year-old Lin Wanliang, Mid-Autumn Festival means getting up early and doing lots of preparations.

The day starts at five am as he walks up a mountain to pick some home-grown ginseng. It's later used as an ingredient for a special soup, with both ginseng and pork bones.

LIN WANLIANG VILLAGER "We Hakka people see mid-autumn festival as something even bigger than the Chinese New Year. We don't do all that much. We just have a nice dinner with our family members."

Now dinner is ready. It may not seem so elaborate. But as Lin says, it's not about the food, but rather the rare opportunity to unite with his parents and children. Twelve years ago, he left home to work in the city of Shenzhen, China's economic mecca. His busy schedule only affords him three family visits a year.

LIN XIANZHI LIN WANLIANG'S FATHER "My son doesn't come home very often. We love celebrating mid-autumn festival because it brings us together. And the full-moon symbolizes a unified family, like ours."

Such a reunion is typical on the day of mid-autumn in this village, where one fifth of the population is migrant workers. Located 100 kilometers from Meizhou city, it is home to thousands of Hakka people like Lin, whose ancestors were believed to have migrated from central China to the south centuries ago. They all share the same tradition on this night: worshipping the moon.

LIN WANLIANG VILLAGER "The moon is like our goddess. We respect her a lot. We worship her for happiness and a prosperous year ahead."

As night falls, the entire village celebrates together. Eating food, taking photos and having a good time.

CUI HUI'AO MEIZHOU, GUANGDONG PROVINCE "For Hakka people, mid-autumn festival is more than just mooncakes. It is about spending time with family members and other loved ones and time has been so powerless to change this warm custom."