Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, Moonlight Festival, Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, Mid Autumn Festival, Moon Worship Festival, Moon Mother's Day, Moon Festival, Reunion Festival and so on, is a traditional Chinese folk festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the worship of the moon on autumn eve in ancient times. At first, the festival was held on the 24th solar term of the Ganzhi calendar, the autumnal equinox. Later, it was moved to the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. In some places, the Mid-Autumn Festival was set on the 16th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. Since ancient times, Mid-Autumn Festival has had such folk customs as offering sacrifices to the moon, appreciating the moon, eating moon cakes, playing with lanterns, appreciating osmanthus flowers, drinking osmanthus wine, and so on.
The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in ancient times, popularized in the Han Dynasty, shaped in the early Tang Dynasty, and became popular after the Song Dynasty. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a combination of seasonal customs in autumn. Most of the festival customs included in it have ancient origins. The Mid-Autumn Festival symbolizes the reunion of people with the full moon. It is a rich, colorful and precious cultural heritage in order to cherish the memory of home and family members and pray for fertility and happiness.
