Mid-Autumn Festival / Mooncake Festival

Mid-Autumn Festival is also called Mooncake Festival or Moon Festival. 

Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar.

Mid-Autumn falls as early as September 8th (2033) and as late as October 6th (2025) in the next 30 years.

3-Day Break for Mooncake Festival

Normally, Chinese people will have a three-day "public holiday" on the Mid-Autumn Festival — a normal weekend off for 5-day week workers, however...

When Mid-Autumn occurs at the end of September or early October its statutory day of public holiday is usually combined with the statutory National Day. 

Why Mid-Autumn Is Celebrated at Month 8 Day 15

Traditional Calendar Seasons

According to the Chinese lunar calendar (and traditional solar calendar), the 8th month is the second month of autumn. As the four seasons each have three (about-30-day) months on the traditional calendars, day 15 of month 8 is "the middle of autumn".

For the Full Moon

On the 15th of the lunar calendar, each month, the moon is at its roundest and brightest, symbolizing togetherness and reunion in Chinese culture. Families get together to express their familial love by eating dinner together, appreciating the moon, eating mooncakes, etc. The harvest moon is traditionally believed to be the brightest of the year.

For Harvest Celebration

Month 8 day 15, is traditionally the time rice is supposed to mature and be harvested. So people celebrate the harvest and worship their gods to show their gratitude.

Mid Autumn Festival

The Mid Autumn Festival is celebrated in many East Asian communities. In China, it's a reunion time for families, just like Thanksgiving, while in Vietnam, it's more like a children's day. 

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival. It traditionally falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important festival in China after Chinese New Year. Chinese people celebrate it by gathering for dinners and lighting paper lanterns.

Mid Autumn Festival Facts

• Name in Chinese: 中秋节Zhōngqiūjié /jong-chyoh-jyeah/ 'middle autumn festival'

• Why it is celebrated: worship moon and celebrate the harvest

• Must-eat food: mooncake

• Popular activities: admiring the full moon, eating mooncakes, traveling

• Greetings: The simplest is "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival" (中秋快乐 'Mid-Autumn happy').

How the Chinese Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival

The common customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival in China include family members eating dinner together, just like a Thanksgiving dinner, sharing mooncakes, worshiping the moon with gifts, displaying lanterns, and regional activities.

In Hong Kong, a unique annual fire dragon show is held in the Tai Hang neighborhood during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The special Mid-Autumn Festival customs of China's ethnic minorities are also very interesting.

• Mid-Autumn Festival Greetings (10 Beautiful Chinese Sayings)

• The Top 10 Mid-Autumn Festival Traditions

• 8 Things You Might Not Know about the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

• The 5 Most Popular Mid-Autumn Festival Gifts

Why the Mid Autumn Festival Is Celebrated

In the past, the Mid Autumn Festival was celebrated at harvest time. Ancient Chinese emperors worshiped the moon in autumn to thank it for the harvest. The ordinary people took the Mid-Autumn Festival to be a celebration of their hard work and harvest. Nowadays, people mainly celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival as a time for family reunions.

When the Mid Autumn Festival Become a Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival has a history of over 3,000 years. It was derived from the custom of moon worshiping during the Shang Dynasty (c.1600–1046 BC). After that, it was first celebrated as a national festival during the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127).

People have long believed that worshiping the moon and eating together around a round table will bring them good luck and happiness.

The Top 5 Cities in China for Mid-Autumn Festivities

People in different cities have different customs and preferred places to enjoy this public holiday in September. Click the links to discover how the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in these major China cities:

• Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing

• Mid-Autumn Festival in Shanghai

• Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong

• Mid-Autumn Festival in Hangzhou

• Mid-Autumn Festival in Guangzhou

What Food Is Eated during Mid-Autumn Festival

• Mooncake

• Grapes

• Crabs

• Duck

• Pomeloes

• Pear

• Liquor

Mooncakes are the must-eat Mid-Autumn food in China. They are a traditional Chinese pastry. Chinese people see in the roundness of mooncakes a symbol of reunion and happiness.

Other foods eaten during the festival are harvest foods, such as crabs, pumpkins, pomeloes, and grapes. People enjoy them at their freshest, most nutritious, and auspicious meanings are particularly associated with round foods.

Festival food traditions are also changing. The younger generation have their own ideas about what should be eaten. Most of them don't like mooncakes, and prefer to eat what they like.

Summary

Above all is the brief introduction of our Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, if you want to know more details about the festival, welcome to contact our sales colleague for more details (sales@zhipulink.com), thanks!