One Moon, One World: global museums and their mooncake innovation (2)

The British Museum

Symbol of the Moon: Gayer-Anderson Cat

Unlike the ancient Chinese who worshiped the Jade Rabbit as a symbol of the moon, the ancient Egyptians believe that Bastet, the cat goddess, is the “Eye of the Moon.” With a cat face and a human body, Bastet is often recognized as a goddess of pregnancy and childbirth, possibly due to the fertility of domestic cats. She is also taken as the protector of family, who shields her believers from contagious diseases and evil spirits.

Based on Bastet’s mythologies, ancient Egyptians have created countless artwork regarding cats, with the Gayer-Anderson Cat being one of the most famous. A bronze figure depicts Bastet wearing a silver protective pectoral and a nose ring, as well as golden earrings. The scarab beetle on the cat’s head and chest symbolizes rebirth, while the silver wedjat-eye on the pectoral invokes protection and healing.

The statue most likely comes from an ancient Egyptian temple, and is named after Major Robert Grenville Gayer-Anderson, who donated the statue to the British Museum in 1939.

The British Museum’s mooncake gift box also contains a moon chart that shows the lunar phase change from a crescent moon to a full moon. 

Innovative mooncake flavor:

Traditionally mooncakes are made using pastry, but the British Museum has tried a different way, creating its own chocolate mooncake. The moon on each cake is made by white chocolate, while the cake itself is pure black chocolate. The chocolate mooncake has two flavors, coconut and rum, defying mooncake tradition.