| Mid Autumn Festival |
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| Also called | Moon Festival, Mooncake Festival |
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| Observed by | Chinese people |
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| Type | Cultural, religious |
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| Significance | To commemorate and celebrate the end of the autumn harvest |
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| Celebrations | Lantern lighting, mooncake making and sharing, courtship and matchmaking, fireworks, family gathering, dragon dances, family meal, visiting friends and relatives, gift giving |
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| Observances | Consumption of mooncakes and cassia wine |
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| Date | 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar |
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| 2024 date | 17 September |
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| 2025 date | 6 October |
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| 2026 date | 25 September |
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| Frequency | Annual |
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| Related to | Chuseok (Korea), Tsukimi (Japan), Tết Trung Thu (Vietnam), Uposatha of Ashvini or Krittika (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand) |
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The Mid-Autumn Festival (for other names, see § Etymology) is a harvest festival celebrated in Chinese culture. It is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night, corresponding to mid-September to early October of the Gregorian calendar. On this day, the Chinese believe that the moon is at its fullest and brightest, coinciding with the time of harvest in the middle of autumn.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important holidays and celebrations in Chinese culture; its popularity is on par with that of Chinese New Year. The history of the festival dates back over 3,000 years. Similar festivals are celebrated by other cultures in East and Southeast Asia.
During the festival, lanterns of all sizes and shapes – symbolizing beacons that light the path toward prosperity and good fortune for the people – are carried and displayed. Mooncakes, a traditionally rich pastry that is typically filled with sweet-bean or lotus-seed paste, are eaten during this festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is based on the legend of Chang'e, the Moon goddess in Chinese mythology.
