Do you know the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival?

Origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival.

It is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Reunion Festival and the August Festival. It is a traditional festival of the Han Chinese and most of the ethnic minorities in China, and is also popular in neighbouring countries such as Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, Moonlight Festival, Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Festival, Moon Festival, Moon Festival and Reunion Festival, is a traditional Chinese folk festival. The festival originated from the celestial cult and evolved from the moon festival on the eve of autumn in ancient times. The festival was originally celebrated on the day of the autumnal equinox of the twenty-four solar terms of the Ganzhi calendar, but was later transferred to the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the summer calendar (lunar calendar), and in some places the festival was set on the sixteenth day of the eighth month of the summer calendar [1]. The festival has been celebrated since ancient times with moon festivals, moonlight viewing, eating mooncakes, playing with lanterns, enjoying osmanthus flowers and drinking osmanthus wine, and other folk customs that have been passed down to this day. [2-5]

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in ancient times, became popular in the Han Dynasty, was established in the early Tang Dynasty and became popular after the Song Dynasty. The festival is a synthesis of autumnal customs, and most of the festival elements it contains have ancient origins. [6] The festival has become a colourful and precious cultural heritage, with the fullness of the moon signifying the reunion of the people, in order to send a message of longing for the homeland and relatives, and to pray for a good harvest and happiness. [4]

The Mid-Autumn Festival, together with the Spring Festival, the Qingming Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival, are known as the four major traditional festivals in China. On 20 May 2006, the State Council included it in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. Since 2008, the Mid-Autumn Festival has been included as a national holiday.