As a lover of all things autumn, I love branching out and learning about how different cultures mark my favorite season! I have recently learned a bit about the Mid-Autumn Festival in Chinese culture, which takes place around mid-September to early October and centers around the timing of what we know as the Harvest Moon.
During this autumn equinox festival, celebrations focus on the harvest—with gratitude and family gatherings; the moon; Chang’e (the goddess of the moon); and her companion, a white rabbit who pounds herbs in his mortar and pestle to make immortality elixir. Other symbols and parts of the celebration include lanterns, mooncakes, cassia wine, and burning incense as an offering to Chang’e.
This festival and the lore surrounding Chang’e and the Moon Rabbit are a wonderful Craftbrunch theme! There are lovely picture books on this folklore to share with children, you can decorate lanterns and make moon cakes, and more.
My contribution to the #autumnnaturemagic #Craftbrunch celebration I’ve joined on Instagram is a tea blend based on the idea of the immortality elixir that the Moon Rabbit makes! Most of the ingredients are longevity herbs in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), and the cassia cinnamon and dried apricots are present to represent cassia wine, which I’ve not tried but I read it tastes like peaches or apricots!
(This tea is safe for adults and kids alike, but if you prefer you can substitute decaf green tea or leave it out altogether.)
Here is the recipe! It should be enough for a few cups of tea but you can increase accordingly for the number of people you’re serving.
Moon Rabbit’s Immortality Tea
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Green tea
1 Tbsp Astragalus root
1 Tbsp Ginkgo (I like golden ginkgo)
1 Tbsp Mugwort
1 Tbsp Goji berries, dried
½ Tbsp Ginger, dried, or 1-2 small knobs fresh
Cassia cinnamon, 1-2 sticks broken into pieces
Dried apricots – 3-4, chopped
Instructions:
Brew for 3-4 minutes with just-boiled water; you can brew longer if you omit the green tea, or perhaps put the green tea in a separate tea strainer and remove it before the other ingredients.
Garnish with cinnamon sticks and dried apricots if you like! Sip this tea before a lantern-lit autumn hike under the moonlight!
For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.
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The Herbology Faerie 