Free mooncakes are being given out by a Richmond-based bakery to celebrate the Richmond News’ 45th anniversary and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Saint Germain Bakery and the News are giving away 100 free custard mooncake samples and 15 per cent off discounts to readers from Aug. 18 to 28.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is very similar to Thanksgiving in the West and is a time when families and friends come together.
Richmond News publisher Alvin Chow said there is no better time to thank our readers and to bring positivity into the community during the harvest festival.
“Mid-Autumn Festival is about family reunions, giving thanks for the harvest and harmonious unions, and there’s no better time than now to also celebrate the birthday of the Richmond News,” said Chow.
There are many multi-cultural communities within the City of Richmond and Chow hopes there will be many more events in the future to celebrate those communities.
“While we are celebrating with mooncakes this fall, we’re hoping to have some more fun and have other ethnic group celebrations in the future, too. I want to celebrate more of the ethnic diversity in the community.” said Chow.
To redeem a free ticket for a custard mooncake at Saint Germain Bakery, readers will need to click here to head to the bakery's website.
Each person is limited to one ticket, regardless of location, and duplicate entries will be voided. The tickets can then be redeemed at the location and on the dates indicated on the ticket.
There is a limited number of tickets for the free mooncakes.
Alex Ma, spokesperson for Saint Germain Bakery, said mooncakes are a “celebratory food” for a good harvest year.
“The shape of the traditional mooncake, and the salted egg yolks inside mimic the full moon,” said Ma, adding that the words printed on mooncakes roughly translate to “Wishing that you’ll have a good time gathering with all your family and loved ones.”
“Mooncakes are typically eaten after a family gathering dinner to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. To put it simply, it’s basically the Thanksgiving of Chinese culture when we would celebrate our harvests”
Ma said food plays a huge role in Asian cultures where families are often seen feasting over food as important part of any celebrations.
“I feel like because Chinese as a culture isn’t great at expressing care and feelings, we would host family gatherings with big meals as an excuse to see our families and to check up on each other.”
