Mixed-Up Mooncakes
by: Christina Matular with Erica Lyons, Illustrated by Tracy Subisak
September 10, 2024 Quill tree Books
32 pages
Half the fun of Sukkot is the way it always feels like a gamble. Sitting outside in temporary huts with limiting roofing can be a great way to enjoy the early Autumn breeze while soaking up those last rays of fading summer sun. Alternatively, the lack of weatherproofing on these structures can mean rainy days full of falling water-logged decorations and a mad dash towards the regular house as the skies open and everyone grabs their plates so the food won’t be ruined by the deluge. As an adult, this is decidedly less fun than it was a kid, but it is entirely symbolic of the holiday.
Sukkot commemorates our Jewish ancestors travel through the dessert in temporary homes. Reliance on God was complete – for food, water, protection from the elements and neighboring tribes. Sure, it didn’t rain all that much, but I’m sure there were other duck and cover situations. The most confusing thing about the holiday is its timing. Passover, which celebrates the exodus, is celebrated in Spring. So why is Sukkot celebrated in the Fall and not immediately after? One answer is that the unreliable weather is entirely the point. In the Spring we would likely not have the same extremes of temperature and precipitation as we do in the Fall, and thus it would be much easier to celebrate and forget about the crucial reliance on God. It also a time of last harvest before winter – another great time to rely on God or whatever supernatural forces a given culture reveres.
In Mixed-Up Mooncakes, a sweet picture book written by Chrstina Matula with Erica Lyons and illustrated by Tracy Subisak, a multicultural family family celebrates both Sukkot and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Little Ruby helps her Zayde and her Nainai pick out items for the celebrations, but the eponymous mooncakes – a mash up of both celebrated cultures – are her very own invention. Friends and family gather round in the Sukkah to eat the treats together, and from the illustration it appears they luck out and have beautiful weather.
Mixed-Up Mooncakes is a reminder that there are many cultures out there celebrating this Autumn, and that many in our communities are finding new ways to blend their families cultural heritage. Reliance on God for a good harvest, good weather, and enough to last us through the winter is just as universal as friendship and family.