Celebrating a home away from home

My six words entry for today:

Celebrating a home away from home

Together with our friends, we celebrated an important Chinese holiday last night, the Moon Festival. It's also known as the Mid-Autumn or Mooncake Festival. Originally, it celebrates the harvest season and worships the moon way back 3000 years ago. To this day, it's been a tradition where Chinese families and friends gather together to eat mooncakes (mooncakes were all eaten by my kids lol, no photo this time) or pomelo under the moonlight while adoring the full moon's grandeur at the same time. Isn't that romantic? In Taiwan, they celebrate this occasion by having outdoor good-smelling barbecues with their families and friends. Yes, outside in the autumn air breeze. For environmental concerns, outdoor barbecues are not allowed on ordinary days.

Living as international students in this foreign land, our local Taiwanese friends always organized such event and celebrated with us before they went home to celebrate with their own families. Ain't they the sweetest! It's somehow been our yearly tradition to gather together, do some barbecue, eat and have fun under the moon's shining splendor (no, we didn't worship the moon).  Indeed, we had a blast celebrating our own Moon Festival last night. We don't have to feel sad that all our Taiwanese friends are leaving soon for home  while we have no one else to go home to for a reunion (lol). In fact, we discovered our very own family here, right in front of our noses ~ special friends to gather and to celebrate with on our birthdays, Christmas, new years or even ordinary days.

Indeed, I'm blissful enough to find a home away from home, with our best friends (they know who they are). And this alone is worth celebrating for.

Barbecue fun was celebrated just outside of our friends' apartment. 

Vegetables and marinated chicken, pork and beef were prepared for barbecues. 

My kids excitedly joined the fun!

A variety of stuff to barbecue were prepared for our strictly vegan friend, for a non pork-eater friend, and for the meat eaters.

My kids so love the party.

Fish, squid balls, mushrooms, corn, tomato, green pepper, bamboo shoots,  marshmallows, etc were equally yummy.

Our funny Taiwanese friend!

My kids playing around!

Our friends: most are international students from various countries gathering for our own celebration. 

Enjoying the barbecues, men got some beers and some Tanduay rum after. 

Happy Moon Festival!!!

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