Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
We have just come to the end of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, so is usually in September or October. The festival is celebrated when the full moon is at its fullest and brightest and the day is dedicated to celebrating the moon and showing appreciation for the role it plays in the agricultural calendar.
The festival is celebrated with a variety of traditional activities, such as eating mooncakes, lighting lanterns, and enjoying the full moon. Mooncakes are a traditional food that are eaten during the festival, and are often given as gifts to family and friends. Lanterns, both large and small, are also a big part of the festival and are lit and released into the sky to symbolize the reunion of family members.
In many regions, the festival is also celebrated with dragon and lion dances, and the and the lighting of lanterns. There are also traditional performances and other activities, such as family gatherings, and special prayers. The festival is celebrated by people of all ages, and is considered an important occasion for family reunions, and is considered one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture. As well as this, families gather to eat mooncakes, which are round in shape to symbolise the reunion of the family. These are sacrificed to the moon as a token of appreciation, and are eaten as a celebration or offered to friends and family members to wish them a long, prosperous life. This explains why the celebration may also be known as the Mooncake Festival. There is also a strong association between the Mid-Autumn Festival and the celebration of marriages and partnerships, with communities in some parts of China holding ceremonies and dances to help young women find a partner. It is one of the most important festivals in the Chinese calendar, and visitors are warmly welcomed to join in with the celebrations and festivities.
It is a celebration dating back to the Zhou Dynasty and started in 1046BC, where the people of Ancient China celebrated the moon’s role in the changing of the seasons and its effect on agriculture.
It is said that this time of year is an especially pleasant time to travel around China, so if you are planning a trip you may wish to incorporate the Mid-Autumn Festival into your itinerary!
Similar festivals are celebrated in Japan, Korea, Vietnam and many other Chinese-speaking countries.
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