One of the most important traditional Chinese festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month,  September 27 this year. This day was also considered as a harvst festival since fruits, vegetables and grain had been harvested by this time and food was abundant. Full of joy and happiness, friends and loved ones gather to celebrate a time when the moon is at its fullest and brightest of the whole year, and everyone gathers together to delight in eating moon cakes and appreciating the spectacular beauty of the full moon.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese people, dating back over 3,000 years to moon worship in Shang Dynasty.

Celebration of Mid-autumn festival has a long history. In ancient times, the emperors had the tradition of worshiping the Sun in spring, and the Moon in autumn. The word “Mid-Autumn” first appeared in the famous ancient book “Zhou Li” (The Zhou Rituals, a book telling the rituals in the Zhou Dynasty). However, it was not until the early Tang Dynasty that the day was officially celebrated as a traditional festival. It became a established festival during the Song Dynasty, and has become as popular as the Spring Festival since the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Celebrations have continued ever since and more customs for marking this occasion have been formed.