The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, Moonlight Birthday, Moon Eve, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Worship Festival, Moon Niang Festival, Reunion Festival, etc., is a traditional Chinese folk festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the autumn eve of the ancient times. Originally, the festival of "Jiyue Festival" was on the 24th solar term "autumn equinox" in the Ganzhi calendar. Later it was adjusted to the 15th of the Xia calendar (lunar calendar). In some places, the Mid-Autumn Festival was set on the 16th of the Xia calendar. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in ancient times and was popular in the Han Dynasty. It was finalized in the early years of the Tang Dynasty and prevailed after the Song Dynasty. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a synthesis of autumn seasonal customs, and most of the festival factors it contains have ancient origins. The Mid-Autumn Festival uses the moon’s full moon to signify the reunion of people, as a place to miss the hometown, the love of loved ones, and pray for a harvest and happiness, and become a rich and precious cultural heritage.

Since ancient times, the Mid-Autumn Festival has the custom of worshipping the moon, admiring the moon, eating moon cakes, playing with lanterns, admiring osmanthus, drinking osmanthus wine and other customs, which have been passed down for a long time. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are few clouds and fog, and the moon is bright and bright. In addition to a series of activities such as admiring the moon, worshipping the moon, eating moon cakes and blessing reunion, some places also have activities such as grass dragon dance and pagoda building. Since its development, eating moon cakes has become a must-have custom for the Mid-Autumn Festival in various parts of the north and south of our country. In addition to moon cakes, various seasonal fresh fruits and dried fruits are also delicacies on the Mid-Autumn Festival.