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The Ultimate Guide to Fruit Offerings for the Mid-Autumn Festival: Attracting Abundance and Prosperity

The Mid-Autumn Festival, falling on the 15th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendar, is a time of abundance with a variety of autumn fruits perfect for offerings. This special occasion is filled with meaningful traditions and symbolic gestures, making it a truly enchanting and unique celebration.

Administrator

26 September, 2024

Offering fruit as a sacrifice is a common practice, especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 8th month. People often prepare a tray of five types of fruit for incense burning. The selection of fruits varies depending on the region and the season. A typical tray may include bananas, pomelos, peaches, apples, oranges, or grapefruits (custard apples), coconuts, mangoes, papayas, and figs…

However, during autumn, a combination of bananas, pomelos, pomegranates, persimmons, and grapefruits makes for a beautiful and auspicious tray of fruit, perfectly capturing the essence of the season.

Bananas

Bananas are a popular choice for incense burning. When included in the tray of five fruits, a bunch of bananas can provide support and encompass the other fruits. Bananas are also believed to attract wealth and prosperity for the family. As autumn arrives, bananas, especially the Cavendish variety, become sweeter and less sour due to the cooler weather, making them an even more suitable offering.

Pomelos

Autumn marks the beginning of the pomelo season. This is when the fruit is at its best, especially for families growing traditional varieties such as Doan Hung, Vietnamese pomelos, or Phu Trach pomelos. Eating pomelos during this time is a delightful experience, and placing a freshly cut branch with leaves on a tray of bananas creates a beautiful centerpiece for the five-fruit offering. The roundness of the pomelo symbolizes fullness and abundance, representing prosperity, wealth, and family reunion.

Pomegranates

Pomegranates are another fruit that ripens during autumn. The bright red seeds of these fruits bring good luck and fortune. In the past, pomegranates were considered a lucky fruit in feng shui. The numerous seeds, tightly packed together, symbolize family unity and prosperity, representing a large and prosperous family. The shape of a pomegranate resembles a lantern, making it a perfect fit for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Including pomegranates in the autumn offerings not only adds a touch of auspicious color to the altar but also brings good luck and fortune.

Persimmons

Autumn is the season for crunchy persimmons. These fruits are a hallmark of the autumn harvest and the Mid-Autumn Festival. In feng shui, persimmons symbolize wealth and prosperity. Thus, they are a must-have in the tray of five fruits during this season. The round persimmons represent fullness and abundance. The very name “persimmon” brings good luck and smooth sailing, conveying a sense of blessing.

Grapefruits (Custard Apples)

During autumn, grapefruits ripen and emit a sweet fragrance. These characteristic sweet fruits of autumn are believed to bring good luck when offered as a sacrifice. The ripe grapefruits, with their swollen eyes, attract good fortune and wealth for the family.

These fruits grow on high branches, absorbing the essence of the sun and the earth, further enhancing their spiritual and feng shui significance. Our ancestors were meticulous in their choice of sacrificial fruits, considering not only their taste but also their color and symbolic meaning, selecting fruits that grow high above the ground, ensuring purity and auspiciousness for the offerings.

Reference information for divination