¡¡¡¡The Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiou Jie) falls on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar. This year it will be celebrated on September 11. Focusing on the harvest moon£¬it was originally an outdoor festival and even today involves outdoor reunions where friends and relatives gather together to eat moon cakes and watch the moon. Its perfectly round shape forms the symbol of familial harmony and unity.

¡¡¡¡Unique to Xiamen is the Festival custom of playing the Moon Cake Game in which players roll six dice for six kinds of prizes. Traditionally the prizes were moon cakes created especially for this game£¬however in recent years people have begun to prefer other prize such as soap£¬towels£¬candies£¬shampoo£¬cameras£¬etc.

¡¡¡¡The moon cake game£¬legendarily invented by Zheng Chenggong to keep his troops from nostalgia£¬is found only in southern Fujian and parts of Taiwan. The evenings around Mid-Autumn Festival every year are punctuated by the ringing of dice in large porcelain bowls as families£¬friends and colleagues gather together to compete for moon cakes. (Or£¬in recent years£¬other prizes.)

¡¡¡¡There are altogether 63 gambling moon cakes£¬large or small£¬in a set. The different sizes of cakes represent different official positions won by taking the imperial examinations of yesteryear. The grand prize£¬called Zhuangyuan£¬represents No.1 scholar. Duitang is No. 2 scholar. Sanhong is No.3. Then there are Sijin£¬Erju and the smallest cookie Yixiu.

¡¡¡¡Once everyone is seated around the table£¬one player tosses two dice into the bowl. Then£¬using the total of the two dice£¬count clockwise from him/herself around the table to determine who will be first to play. Players take turn rolling six dice into the bowl until all the cakes are gone. Take care that no dice bounce out£¬for then you lose a turn¡