Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals for Chinese people. As our holiday begins, let’s check some facts about the festival and learn more about Chinese culture!
The date of the Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. The date of the festival in the Gregorian calendar changes every year, but it is usually in September or October. In this year, it falls on Oct 1, the same day as Chinese National Day.
Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important festival in China
Mid-Autumn festival is one of the most important traditional festivals for Chinese people. It’s been a long-time convention for people to reunite with their families, eat mooncakes and enjoy the glorious full moon on this day.
For Chinese people living far from their hometowns, their opportunities to go back and reunite with their families come only twice a year, which makes Mid-Autumn Festival become the second most important festival in China, only after the Chinese new year.
This year, many Chinese people didn’t really enjoy the Chinese new year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the situation gets better, many people will cherish the moments much more than usual and spend a good time with families and friends during the holiday.
In Chinese lunar calendar, it is always the full moon day on the 15th of the month. Mid-Autumn Festival is on the 15th of the eighth lunar month, so it is also called Moon Festival.
People believe that the full moon carries the meaning of family reunion. And the celebration activities on the festival are related to the moon, such as appreciating the moon, worshipping the moon, praying to the moon for good luck, etc.
The full moon does not always appear on Mid-Autumn Festival
It is a scientifically based Mid-Autumn Festival fact. The full moon can also appear on the 14th, 16th or 17th day of the lunar month. That’s due to the fact that the length of a day is governed by solar movement and the moon’s phases do not coincide precisely.
So there is a saying that goes, “The moon turns perfect round on the day after Mid-Autumn Festival”(十五的月亮十六圆).
Mooncake is essential for Mid-Autumn Festival
This is a fact everyone can see or experience. Mooncake is a traditional food eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but it is originally used for sacrificial offerings for the goodness of the moon.
During the festival, people eat mooncakes while appreciating the moon, worship the moon with mooncakes, and send mooncakes to relatives, friends, colleagues, teachers, and so on, as gifts.
There are various types of mooncake
There are different regional styles and flavors of mooncakes across China. Mooncakes have evolved over time, integrating with the dietary customs of different regions in China. As a result, new styles, flavors and looks have continuously evolved.
The most popular mooncakes in China are: Cantonese style mooncakes, Beijing style mooncakes, Suzhou style mooncakes, Yunnan style mooncakes, Chaozhou (Teochew) style mooncakes, Hong Kong ice-skin moon cakes, etc.
Many other countries also celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival
Besides China, many other Asian countries, such as Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Iran, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, also celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. The celebration activities may be different in different countries and regions.
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SOURCE | CGTN / TravelChinaGuide
