Vietnam Catholic Parishes Mark Mid-Autumn Festival with Masses, Lion Dances, Lanterns

Catholic parishes in Vietnam marked the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival with Masses, lantern processions, lion dances, handicraft workshops and activities for children, combining a major Vietnamese cultural celebration with faith formation and community life.

In rural Vinh Thanh Parish of Phan Thiet Diocese in southern Vietnam, members of the Eucharistic Youth Movement organized a lion dance troupe on September 24 ahead of the festival. The group traveled around the parish, visiting families and performing lion dances while raising funds for celebrations for local children.

The drumbeats drew children and families into the festivities and became part of the parish's preparation for the Mid-Autumn celebration.

Thao Nhi, a member of Vinh Thanh Parish, said the festival was especially meaningful for children in rural communities.

"The clearest feeling of every Mid-Autumn season is the joy of children, the sound of the lion drum, and the gift of cakes and treats," she said.

She noted that children in the area had fewer opportunities than those in cities to experience modern forms of entertainment, making traditional activities such as carrying lanterns, watching lion dances and receiving gifts particularly meaningful.

More than 300 children, youth leaders and assistant leaders took part in a Mass celebrated by the parish chaplain. The celebration continued with a lantern procession around the church grounds, joined by parishioners, followed by a cultural program featuring the traditional Vietnamese character Mr. Cuoi.

In Gia Dinh Parish in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's largest city and an important center of the country's Catholic community, the Eucharistic Youth Movement organized activities combining traditional crafts with Christian formation.

Younger children, including those aged 4 to 6 in the Chiên Con group, took part in coloring and puzzle activities under the guidance of youth leaders on September 25. Older children participated in workshops involving statue painting, sand painting, lantern making and mooncake preparation.

A statue-painting activity carried the message that each child is a unique work of art created by God, while the sand-painting activity used the process of bringing individual grains together to teach patience and perseverance.

Older members also learned to make traditional lanterns from simple materials and prepared mooncakes, a customary food associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The activities gave children opportunities to experience Vietnamese cultural traditions while participating in parish life and faith formation.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, is widely observed in Vietnam and is particularly associated with children, lanterns, mooncakes and family gatherings.

For Catholic communities, the celebrations provided opportunities to bring children and families together through worship, cultural activities and acts of sharing.