mid autumn day

​Mid-autumn day

zhong qiu jie

中 秋 节​

​How Is Mid-Autumn Festival's Date Determined?

Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th of the 8th lunar month in the Chinese calendar, within half a lunar month of the autumn equinox (from about Sep. 6 to Oct. 6).

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On the Chinese lunar calendar, the 8th month is the middle month of autumn and the 15th is its middle day. As, traditionally, the four seasons each have three lunar months, day 15 of month 8 is "the middle of autumn". So it got its name. 

​Making and Watching Colorful Lanterns — Children's Favorite Activity

Making colorful lanterns is a happy activity for families with young children. The lanterns have different shapes and can also resemble animals, plants, or flowers. Children love making colorful lanterns. They make them in different shapes to be hung in trees or houses, or floated on rivers.

Parks also hang up colorful lanterns, which provide a beautiful view at night. They also make Kongming lanterns, which can fly because their burning candles heat the air inside. Children write good wishes on the lanterns and let them fly up into the sky.

​Eating Mooncakes — The Most Representative Tradition

Mooncakes, also known as reunion cakes, were originally made as offerings to the God of the Moon and later became the most important food for celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival.  

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Mooncakes symbolize reunion and are used as a festival food, still by some as offerings to the moon and its gods, and as gifts to relatives and friends. Eating mooncakes is an essential custom in China and other Asia countries to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival.

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​Appreciating the Moon — a Symbol of Family Reunion

It is said that the moon is the roundest and brightest on the night of a Mid-Autumn Festival. In Chinese beliefs, the full moon is a symbol of family reunion. It has been a custom to admire the full moon of this festival since ancient times.

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When people look at the moon, it reminds them of their families and homeland. Many famous ancient poets wrote poems about the moon and expressed their homesickness.

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