On Saturday, September 10 we celebrate Mid-autumn Festival here in Shanghai. This celebration is the second-most important festival in China after Chinese New Year and dates back centuries.
On this date, we get together with our families, observe the full moon, make or watch colorful lanterns with our loved ones and indulge in delicious moon cakes.
How to prepare for the Mid-autumn festival
Mid-autumn festival is all about appreciating the moon, which is said to be at its fullest and brightest on this sacred night. In Chinese beliefs, the full moon is a symbol of family reunion, and this is why many of us get together to celebrate this time.
You should also expect visits from close friends, relatives, or business associates, so make sure you welcome them with open arms and a clean home.
I like to perform a thorough home cleaning for this celebration and take this opportunity to prepare for the change of seasons.
Every Mid-Autumn Festival, it is estimated that people throw away several millions of moon cakes, tens of thousands of moon cake boxes, and hundreds of thousands of glow sticks.
Food waste, disposable utensils, and lanterns are also among the most common wasted items.
But all this waste can be minimized, if not avoided altogether if we each do our part.
Here’s what I recommend
When hosting and preparing food:
Determine how many mooncakes you will need before placing your order, and choose environmentally friendly packaging whenever possible.
Don’t go overboard and prepare only the appropriate amount of food when hosting.
Use reusable cutlery instead of disposable.
When getting ready for holiday activities:
Avoid glow sticks and encourage others to do so too.
If you can, reuse your last year’s lanterns or purchase reusable ones you can keep.
Don’t dispose of your mooncake boxes when they’re made of sturdy packaging. Recycle the others.
After celebration:
Keep your lanterns for next year.
Clean and recycle mooncake boxes.
If you celebrated outdoors, don’t forget to pick up your garbage and leave nature how you found it.
What to do with your mooncake boxes
In recent years, many companies have opted to spend a little more and encourage sustainability by gifting sturdy reusable mooncake boxes. This great initiative has motivated many to hold on to their boxes but exactly what to do with it is still a mystery for some.
Find inspiration with 5 of my favorite ways to reuse mooncake boxes below
Office stationery – this is my favorite use for mooncake boxes because the small compartments make it easy to find a home for everything from paperclips to sticky notes and other office supplies
Tea organization – separate your tea bags into their respective flavors, place the tea bags facing up and label the fronts of each compartment.
Keepsake boxes – your favorite mooncake box can become the perfect place to store pictures, small ornaments, letters, cards, and other mementos.
Craft storage – you can use your mooncake box to store craft materials, ribbons, buttons, etc.
Hair accessories – use boxes to store hair ties, clips, and other small accessories. Place it on your vanity to stay organized and streamline your morning routine.
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