Mid-Autumn Festival: A Lunar Celebration with Mooncakes and More!

Today, we embark on a journey to explore one of China's most enchanting festivals – the Mid-Autumn Festival. Get ready for a delightful dive into Chinese culture, customs, mouthwatering delicacies, and the fascinating origins of this lunar extravaganza.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has a history of over 3,000 years.  It was a ceremonial sacrifice held by the king in connection with moon worship and agricultural endeavors.  To express gratitude for the harvest and to entice the "harvest-giving light" to return the next year, people worshiped moon.People believed that worshiping the moon could result in a fruitful harvest since the changing lunar phases provided advice for the farming schedule.

Due to the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival in moon deity worship, numerous intriguing tales and legends are told and circulated in folklore to explain the meaning of the worship. 'Chang E Flying to the Moon' is the most well-known. The story goes as follows:

Chang E’s husband, Hou Yi was rewarded the elixir of immortality for shooting down the extra nine suns which tortured people a lot. But he would not like become immortal alone and left his wife to live in the heaven, so he gave the elixir to Chang E to keep it well. Unfortunately, one of Hou Yi’s followers got to know it. One a 15th day of the 8th lunar month when Hou Yi went out hunting, that follower sneaked into Hou Yi and Cheng E’s home and forced Chang E to handed over the elixir. Unhelpfully, Chang E ate the elixir, became an immortal and uncontrollably left the earth for the heaven. As she didn’t want to leave her husband, she flew to the moon, the closest place to the earth in the heaven. Hou Yi, in hope of reunion, presented the mooncakes on every 15th day of the 8th lunar month since then.  

The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, which is usually the ninth month of the solar calendar. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a family reunion festival where people enjoy the bright moon with their families, taste mooncakes, view moon lanterns, and hold various traditional celebrations.

Even if the majority of people today have access to enough food, the Mid-Autumn Festival is still important because the full moon that occurs during the festival is a symbol of family reunions.The celebration now includes prayers for happiness and health as it has grown in significance throughout time.

How do Chinese celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival? – Top Activities & Traditions.

Many traditional and meaningful celebrations are held in most households in China, and China's neighboring countries. The main traditions and celebrations include eating mooncakes, having dinner with family, gazing at and worshipping the moon, and lighting lanterns

Eat Mooncakes is the most popular Mid-Autumn Festival activity. Mooncakes are cookies with various fillings like nuts, read bean paste, lotus root paste, egg yolk, meat, and fruit, etc. They are usually round to symbolize the full moon and family reunion. At the Mid-Autumn Festival, people eat mooncakes together with family, or present mooncakes to relatives or friends, to express their love and best wishes. Mooncakes are usually eaten after dinner while admiring the moon.

In Chinese culture, full moon symbolizes reunion.Families will have dinner together on the evening of Mid-Autumn Festival.The public holiday (usually 3 days) is mainly for Chinese people working in different places to have enough time to reunite. Those staying too far away from their parents' home usually get together with friends.

In the Mid-Autumn Festival, in addition to appreciating the moon and eating moon cakes, there is actually a very interesting custom in China, which is lighting lanterns. People light the Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns to symbolize family reunion and to pray for good fortune.

As early as the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), there was a Mid-Autumn Festival custom of floating lanterns in the river. Now, appreciating and playing with lanterns are still welcomed by many people, second in popularity popular only to the Lantern Festival. Chinese Moon Festival lanterns are mostly welcomed in south China and there are no large lantern shows being held like in the Lantern Festival. The Mooncake Festival lanterns are mainly treasured among families and children.

As the moon shines down on us, casting a magical glow, the Mid-Autumn Festival brings joy, togetherness, and a belly full of mooncakes. It's a celebration of Chinese culture, customs, and the enduring love for family and friends. So, next time you see a full moon gracing the night sky, remember the enchanting tales and traditions that make the Mid-Autumn Festival an unforgettable experience. And don't forget to grab a mooncake or two – after all, it's the best way to join in on the lunar festivities!