The brightest moon of fall
The Mid-Autumn Festival takes place on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, usually in September or early October. In the traditional reckoning the fall months were the seventh, eighth and ninth, which makes the eighth month the middle of fall, and the fifteenth day brings a full moon. The moon at this time of year was traditionally considered especially bright and clear. Together with the New Year and the Dragon Boat Festival, it is among the most widely observed holidays in the Chinese calendar.
The central idea is reunion. The full moon’s round shape is a symbol of completeness, and because it is visible to everyone at once, it also links family members who are far apart. Many people see it as a counterpart to the reunion dinner at the New Year, with a gentler tone and an outdoor setting.
Early roots
Honoring the moon appears to be an old practice, linked to the farm year, as the fall harvest has been completed or is being completed. Early texts describe rites to the moon in fall, and in the Tang dynasty moon-viewing was an established pastime, particularly among the educated. Under the Song dynasty, it became a popular custom for all classes, with markets staying open late and families gathering on rooftops and in courtyards. The festival took its present form as a family holiday over several centuries, and the details of its early history are less clear than the later period.
Chang’e and the moon
Many stories are told about the moon. The most famous concerns Chang’e, a woman who lives there. There are different versions. In a widely told one, the archer Hou Yi shot down extra suns that were scorching the earth, and was rewarded with an elixir of immortality. His wife Chang’e swallowed the elixir, either by accident, to keep it from a thief, or because of temptation, and floated up to the moon, where she lives in a palace. A companion on the moon is the jade rabbit, which pounds medicine with a mortar and pestle, and there is also a figure named Wu Gang who is condemned to chop a self-healing cassia tree endlessly.
None of these should be taken as a single canonical account. They come from different periods and sources, and, like many folk tales, were retold and altered many times. In practice, Chang’e is a gentle presence at the festival, and children are often told about the rabbit and the lady on the moon.
Mooncakes
Mooncakes are the iconic food. These are round pastries with a thick filling and a pressed pattern on top, often including characters or designs. They are usually cut into wedges and shared. Fillings and crusts differ greatly by region.
- Cantonese-style mooncakes have a tender crust and fillings such as lotus seed paste, sometimes with salted egg yolks to represent the moon.
- Suzhou-style ones have a flaky, layered pastry, and are often savory or sweet.
- Beijing and northern types may include mixed nuts, seeds and candied fruit.
- Modern ones may be made with ice-cream, chocolate or other fillings.
A story often told is that, at the end of the Yuan dynasty, rebels hid messages inside mooncakes to coordinate an uprising. Historians regard this as a popular tale that cannot be verified, though it is widely enjoyed. Mooncakes are commonly exchanged as gifts among relatives, friends and colleagues in the weeks before the festival. Their rich fillings mean that they are usually eaten in small portions, and many people also enjoy tea alongside them, an example of how tea culture fits into festival occasions.
Other seasonal foods appear as well: pomelos, which are in season and whose name sounds like a word for blessing or protection; grapes; taro; river snails in some southern regions; and osmanthus-flavored wine or cakes. The overall dining style varies as much as Chinese cuisine itself.
Moon poetry
The moon has been a favorite subject for poets for well over a thousand years, and this festival provides many examples. Li Bai’s short poem about seeing moonlight on his bed and looking up and then down in homesickness is one of the first poems that many children learn. A Song poet, Su Shi, wrote a famous lyric on the Mid-Autumn night that ends with the wish that people, though parted, would live long and share the beauty of the moon from a thousand miles apart. These works are among the most beloved examples of classical poetry, and they are part of why the festival is connected with nostalgia and longing.
Lanterns, incense and gatherings
On the night, families traditionally place a table outdoors, offer fruit and mooncakes to the moon, and sit together to look at it. Children carry lanterns in many places, particularly in southern China, Hong Kong and in Southeast Asian communities, and in some places there are fire dragon dances or other performances. As with the Lantern Festival, light and the moon are strongly connected. The dragon dance, in particular, appears in some local celebrations.
Across East and Southeast Asia
Moon festivals in the fall are found well beyond China. Korea has Chuseok, Japan has a moon-viewing tradition called tsukimi, and Vietnam has its own mid-autumn festival with a children’s emphasis. These holidays developed in their own ways, though Chinese customs are often cited among their influences, and discussions of Southeast Asian influence on festival life often mention it.
A public holiday for reunion
In mainland China the festival is a public holiday, sometimes combined with other days off. For people working away from home, it is an occasion to travel back or to video call relatives. The heart of the festival is as simple as it is old: a bright moon, something sweet to eat, and the company of family.