Mid-Autumn, here in Berlin too

Mid-Autumn grew out of moon worship and harvest celebrations. Offerings of mooncakes and fruit expressed hopes for peace and a good harvest, while the full moon came to symbolise family reunion.

Today, the familiar rituals are simple: share a meal with family, admire the moon and split a mooncake. For those far from home, that same moon can bring loved ones to mind.

No food is more closely associated with Mid-Autumn than the mooncake.

Before the holiday, bakeries and supermarkets fill their shelves with mooncakes. Even people who rarely eat sweets may try a piece at this time of year. Their round shape stands for reunion. Giving them to relatives and friends is a gesture of care; cutting one up to share is part of the celebration. Often, what people remember most is the flavour their family bought year after year.

Mooncakes may share a round shape, but across China their fillings and pastry differ considerably.

Among traditional northern mooncakes, Beijing-style varieties have pastry that can be crumbly or soft, with an emphasis on the rich aroma of the baked pastry. Daoxiangcun’s zilaihong and zilaibai are characteristic examples. Fillings include rock sugar, walnuts, melon seeds, osmanthus, green plums and coloured candied ingredients, prepared with considerable care.

Southern mooncakes follow several quite different traditions. Cantonese-style mooncakes have a thin, soft skin and generous fillings, often lotus seed paste, red bean paste or mixed nuts. Suzhou-style mooncakes emphasise layers of flaky pastry and come with sweet or savoury fillings. Yunnan-style mooncakes put cured ham inside, bringing saltiness and sweetness together. They may all be called mooncakes, yet taste like entirely different pastries.

Today’s fillings are even more varied, and the distinction cannot simply be reduced to “sweet in the north, savoury in the south”. Mixed-nut mooncakes are found in both, while southern traditions include sweet, savoury and sweet-savoury combinations. Different styles are now sold throughout China. A family’s mooncake plate might hold both crumbly Beijing-style cakes and soft Cantonese ones—even ice-cream mooncakes from an ice-cream shop.

Some familiar flavours can be found in Berlin too: freshly baked pork mooncakes, lava fillings and vegan versions. As the festival approaches, preorder deadlines and walk-in availability vary.

Information checked on 23 September 2026; confirm stock and orders with the business on the day.

Shaniu’s offer runs 14–27 September: spend €25 per person to receive a mooncake voucher, redeemable 24–27 September. Flavours include matcha, mung bean, sesame and mixed nuts and seeds. Ask the restaurant whether mooncakes can also be purchased separately. Check the official announcement for participating branches and redemption terms.

Beyond mooncakes, different parts of China retain their own holiday customs. Moon offerings survive in some northern communities; Beijing’s Tu’er Ye, the Rabbit God figurine, is a distinctive seasonal object. In some southern areas, taro, water caltrops and pomelos join the table, and people make lanterns or carry them on evening walks. Larger celebrations include the bobing dice game, fire dragon dances and tower burning. Each tradition has its own geographical roots. None is practised by every household across the north or south, but together they give the same festival many different forms.

For company this Mid-Autumn, Berlin offers a tea salon on the festival night, a lantern procession at the weekend, and Wu opera from Zhejiang a few days later.

Berlin’s Vietnamese community also celebrates Mid-Autumn, with its own traditions. The festival weekend also brings a themed club night and a chance to visit the observatory.

Celebrating Mid-Autumn today does not mean observing every old ritual. Some people prepare a family dinner; others bring mooncakes to their parents or call home across time zones. When someone at the other end asks, “Have you had a mooncake yet?”, it is a small reminder that someone is thinking of you.