The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival, is a harvest festival celebrated in Chinese culture. This celebratory day occurs on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar; this year, the holiday falls on September 25th.
It is believed that the moon is at its fullest and brightest on this day, matching the time of harvest in the middle of autumn. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important holidays and celebrations in Chinese culture, dating back over 3,000 years. Several other countries located in East and Southeast Asia celebrate similarly.
The festival is a time to enjoy the successful reaping and harvest of rice and wheat. Offerings are made with the food in honor of the moon. More modernized since it has become an occasion for outdoor reunions among family and friends to eat mooncakes and watch the Moon, a symbol of harmony and unity, and celebrate the key concepts of the festival.
The festival celebrates three fundamental concepts that are closely connected: Gathering(Such as family and friends coming together), Giving thanks(To give thanks to and for the harvest), and Praying (asking for conceptual or material satisfaction). Other regional customs that exist during this period of celebration include: burning incense in reverence to deities and performances of dragon and lion dances.
Some other key events and notable parts of celebrating the holiday are lanterns, mooncakes, courtship, and games.
Lanterns have become a more modern aspect of this holiday, not existing as an aspect of the holiday during the Chinese Dynasties of the past. Lanterns have come to represent the festival itself, becoming an influence in many key important Chinese festivals throughout the year.
Mooncakes, as the separate identifiable name of the holiday suggests, are the hallmark tradition of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The circular shape represents completeness and is meant to be enjoyed with family and dear friends in unison to represent reunion and unity.
Courtship is another big aspect of this holiday, as the Mid-Autumn Festival has become a day to celebrate marriages as well as prayer to Chinese Deities like Chang’e to fulfill romantic wishes. Some sections of China even hold dances for young men and young women to find partners.
