Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2024

The Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节), also known as Lantern Festival, Moon Festival, or Mooncake Festival, is a holiday that is all about the appreciation of the moon. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar and is celebrated all over Mainland China as well as in Taiwan and Hong Kong, with differing styles of celebration depending on location.

One of the most commonly implemented traditions during the Mid-Autumn Festival is worshipping the moon, which is especially popular amongst the older generation. In Chinese culture, the moon symbolizes togetherness, hence why it’s tradition to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival by having a big feast with friends or family. For those who aren’t able to be with their friends and family during the festival, they instead send celebration messages to their loved ones to show they are thinking of them. 

The full moon symbolizes togetherness. As the crescent finally turns into a full moon, homesick family members will finally be reunited like the pieces of the crescent. So the Mid-Autumn Festival has become a significant time for all Chinese people to sit with family members and share a feast.

Usually on this day, the Chinese, especially young strangers who struggle for their own careers or study outside the home, will come back home to have a substantial reunion dinner with their family. This is a precious time for young people to accompany family members and recount their own experiences outside.

Moon appreciation is another important tradition among the Chinese family during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The full moon means reunion and wealth, so the family sitting together to admire the full moon at the festival is also a kind of blessing for the long reunion.

Eating mooncakes is one of the most significant traditions on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Popularly, just like the full moon, round-shaped mooncakes also represent togetherness and harmony, with various flavors from salt to sweet.