Mid-Autumn (Moon) Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival in China. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, usually in September or October in the Western calendar. Chinese people generally have a 3-day statutory holiday in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. All the family members or close friends will meet together, eat mooncakes, and admire the full, bright moon while talking about a happy life.

Mid-Autumn Lantern

Legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival

One day, Empress Wangmu gave Hou Yi a parcel of elixir. It is said that if one eats the elixir, he will ascend immediately to heaven. However, Hou Yi is not willing to part with his wife - Chang E. So he gave the elixir to his wife to hide it. Chang E hid the parcel in a treasure box at her dressing table, but it was seen by Peng Meng.

One day, when Hou Yi went hunting, Peng Meng rushed into his room and forced Chang E to hand over the elixir. Aware that she was unable to defeat Peng Meng, Chang E made a prompt decision at that critical moment. She took up the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp. As soon as she swallowed the elixir, her body floated off the ground, dashed out of the window, and flew towards heaven. Peng Meng escaped.

When Hou Yi returned home, he knew what had happened. He looked up into the night sky and called out the name of his beloved wife, suddenly, he found that the moon was especially clear and bright, and on it, there was a swaying shadow that was exactly like his wife. He tried his best to chase after the moon but in vain.

Thinking of his wife day and night, Hou Yi had an incense table arranged in the back garden. Putting on the table sweetmeats and fresh fruits Chang E enjoyed most, Hou Yi held at a distance a memorial ceremony for Chang E, who was sentimentally attached to him in the palace of the moon.

When people heard of the story, they arranged the incense table in the moonlight one after another and prayed to Chang E for good fortune and peace. From then on, the custom of worshiping the moon spread among the people.

Customs on Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important holiday in China, only after the Chinese New Year. There are a lot of cultural or regional customs to celebrate it.

Admiring and Offering Sacrifice to the Moon

Appreciating the moon at the Mid-autumn festival is a spontaneous folk custom dating back to Wei and Jin dynasties (220-420AD). it's developed from the custom of offering sacrifice to the moon. Today, the solemn sacrifice has been replaced by the simple appreciation of the moon. When they appreciate the full moon, people will think of their friends or relatives from afar. The Mid-autumn Festival is considered a festival of family reunions. 

Eating Mooncake

The most popular custom is eating moon cakes while enjoying the full moon at night. Mooncake consists of a crust and stuffing. The crust is usually made of wheat flour, oil or fat, sugar, and maltose. The fillings can be eggs, beans, fruits, sweet potato, walnuts, mushrooms, meat, or a combination of them. The steamed mooncake is very delicious! In most cases, it only shows up around the festival.

Mooncake for Mid-Autumn Festival

Enjoying Sweet Osmanthus Flowers

Autumn is the season of osmanthus flowers. People will enjoy the fragrance of sweet osmanthus flowers and eating pastries made of osmanthus sugar.China is a vast land with a large population. People from different ethnic groups and regions have their own way of celebrating and customs. In some ethnic minority groups, dances are held for young men and women to find partners. One by one, young women are encouraged to throw their handkerchiefs into the crowd. The young man who catches and returns the handkerchief has a chance of romance. In the Taiwan region, barbecuing with family and friends during the Mid-Autumn Festival is common. Firing dragon dances are often seen in the Hong Kong area. Most people would like to carry brightly lit lanterns, light lanterns on towers, or fly kites, wishing for good luck.