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Today， when asked what Mid-Autumn Festival means， the first thing that many Chinese people would mention is looking at the full moon while eating mooncakes. However， the festival’s roots are about much more than just this.
Each of the four seasons lasts for three months according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar， with autumn taking place during the seventh， eighth and ninth months of the year. Mid-Autumn Festival， as its name would suggest， marks the middle of autumn， and is held on the 15th day of the 8th month on the traditional Chinese lunar calendar， which is always a full moon.
Mid-Autumn Festival is considered the second most important traditional festival celebrated in China after Spring Festival and it is celebrated across the whole of China—not only by the Han people， but also many of China’s ethnic minorities.
The legends of Chang’e
There are multiple legends and stories associated with Mid-Autumn Festival and in particular how Chang’e， the moon goddess， came to be on the moon where she now lives. Although the details and events vary wildly， they are all based around the love between the legendary archer Hou Yi and Chang’e.
One such legend can be found in the philo- sophical classic Huainanzi， written during the Western Han Dynasty （202 B.C. - A.D. 9）. In the Huainanzi， it is said that one day， 10 suns rose in the sky and heat scorched the earth until Hou saved the day by shooting down nine of them with his bow. For his heroism， he was awarded the elixir of life， a pill able to grant immortality， by the emperor. He and his beautiful wife， Chang’e， hid it in a locker so as to keep it safe. However， the villain Peng Meng had seen everything and when Hou went hunting， Peng took his sword and forced Chang’e to give him the elixir， threatening to kill her if she did not. In order to stop the evil Peng from taking the elixir and becoming immortal， Chang’e swallowed it herself and began floating into the sky until she landed on the moon， where she met the Jade Rabbit who lives on the moon mixing herbs to make medicine and elixirs.
On the anniversary of Chang’e’s flight to the moon on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month， Hou would lay out a table in his backyard and place on it his wife’s favorite desserts and fruits in her honor. When people learned of Chang’e’s flight to the moon， they did the same as Hou in remembrance of Chang’e and also to pray for her happiness and blessings. This tradition has been passed on from one generation to another through history ever since. However， not all legends have to do with Chang’e’s ascent to the moon. According to another legend， toward the end of the Yuan Dynasty （1271-1368）， people could no longer tolerate the oppressive rule of the government and they planned an uprising. They passed on small round cakes with pieces of paper inside bearing calls for revolt from family to family. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival， the rebel army known as the red turbans attacked the city of Khanbaliq， now called Beijing， and they overthrew the Mongol rulers， establishing the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）. From that day forward， people eat mooncakes every year to mark the rebel victory.
The customs
“Mid-Autumn Festival has its basis in astronomy， with the celebrations occurring during the autumn equinox. This is when sunlight falls perpendicular to the equator—meaning the Earth is not tilted on its axis—and this divides the day and night into equal length in both the southern and northern hemispheres，” explained Chen Jianguo， a scholar at the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Society.
However， over time the tradition of making sacrifices to the moon has given way to celebrating the full moon itself.
During the Northern Song Dynasty （960-1127）， Mid-Autumn Festival was designated as an official holiday. Celebrations such as eating mooncakes became more popular around that time. It was during the Ming and Qing （1644-1911） dynasties， however， that Mid-Autumn Festival became second only to the Spring Festival in importance. Families would offer fruits and mooncakes to the moon goddess Chang’e as well as sharing them amongst family members and then they would burn “moonlight paper” which would have pictures of Chang’e or the Jade Rabbit printed on it.
Much like the Dragon Boat Festival’s zongzi（glutinous rice dumpling）， and the yuanxiao（rice ball） of the Lantern Festival， Mid-Autumn Festival also has its own food associated with it， as mooncakes have become an indispensable part of celebrations.
The mooncake was originally used as an offering to the moon goddess. Over time， it has developed into a symbol of family reunion and a gift to be sent to friends and family members during the festival. The methods used to make mooncakes have been improved and refined over time too. During the Ming and Qing dynasties， bakers imprinted images—such as Chang’e’s flight to the moon—into the tops of their mooncakes as decoration. The fillings used also have much more variety now than in the past， including nuts， lard， fruit paste and egg yolk. This coupled with regional differences in the recipes makes for a huge variety of different flavors and textures between mooncakes. “The best way to eat mooncakes is to have them with Chinese tea as they are slightly oily，” says Yin Zhiwen， a baker at Beijing’s Daoxiangcun， a popular Chinese brand of pastries and cakes. “Chinese tea can also help with digestion as well as accent and compliment the flavor of the mooncakes.”
Another custom， which is equally as important to Mid-Autumn Festival as the eating of mooncakes， is viewing the full moon on the night of the festival. Today， sitting together with family members to appreciate the moon together is still considered an important part of the festival celebrations.
In addition， different regions have their own unique Mid-Autumn customs. For example， in Jianning， located in southeast China’s Fujian Province， people hang lanterns while the people of Chaoshan in Guangdong eat taro.
The festival in modern times
Today， although few Chinese know much about the festival’s origins， most of them recognize it as an important traditional festival and a time for family reunion.
“For me， Mid-Autumn Festival means that I can have three days off and can visit my parents，” Dou Huining， a 23-year-old civil servant， said.
However， for overseas Chinese， celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival is an important way for them to keep in touch with the culture of their ancestors.
“It is an opportunity for families to come together and educate the next generation （about Chinese traditions），” said Cathy Hung， Executive Director of the New York Chinese Culture Center.“It’s incredibly important to preserve tradition， especially in a distant land. You keep your heritage alive by sharing with your children what you experienced as a child.”
Each of the four seasons lasts for three months according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar， with autumn taking place during the seventh， eighth and ninth months of the year. Mid-Autumn Festival， as its name would suggest， marks the middle of autumn， and is held on the 15th day of the 8th month on the traditional Chinese lunar calendar， which is always a full moon.
Mid-Autumn Festival is considered the second most important traditional festival celebrated in China after Spring Festival and it is celebrated across the whole of China—not only by the Han people， but also many of China’s ethnic minorities.
The legends of Chang’e
There are multiple legends and stories associated with Mid-Autumn Festival and in particular how Chang’e， the moon goddess， came to be on the moon where she now lives. Although the details and events vary wildly， they are all based around the love between the legendary archer Hou Yi and Chang’e.
One such legend can be found in the philo- sophical classic Huainanzi， written during the Western Han Dynasty （202 B.C. - A.D. 9）. In the Huainanzi， it is said that one day， 10 suns rose in the sky and heat scorched the earth until Hou saved the day by shooting down nine of them with his bow. For his heroism， he was awarded the elixir of life， a pill able to grant immortality， by the emperor. He and his beautiful wife， Chang’e， hid it in a locker so as to keep it safe. However， the villain Peng Meng had seen everything and when Hou went hunting， Peng took his sword and forced Chang’e to give him the elixir， threatening to kill her if she did not. In order to stop the evil Peng from taking the elixir and becoming immortal， Chang’e swallowed it herself and began floating into the sky until she landed on the moon， where she met the Jade Rabbit who lives on the moon mixing herbs to make medicine and elixirs.
On the anniversary of Chang’e’s flight to the moon on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month， Hou would lay out a table in his backyard and place on it his wife’s favorite desserts and fruits in her honor. When people learned of Chang’e’s flight to the moon， they did the same as Hou in remembrance of Chang’e and also to pray for her happiness and blessings. This tradition has been passed on from one generation to another through history ever since. However， not all legends have to do with Chang’e’s ascent to the moon. According to another legend， toward the end of the Yuan Dynasty （1271-1368）， people could no longer tolerate the oppressive rule of the government and they planned an uprising. They passed on small round cakes with pieces of paper inside bearing calls for revolt from family to family. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival， the rebel army known as the red turbans attacked the city of Khanbaliq， now called Beijing， and they overthrew the Mongol rulers， establishing the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）. From that day forward， people eat mooncakes every year to mark the rebel victory.
The customs
“Mid-Autumn Festival has its basis in astronomy， with the celebrations occurring during the autumn equinox. This is when sunlight falls perpendicular to the equator—meaning the Earth is not tilted on its axis—and this divides the day and night into equal length in both the southern and northern hemispheres，” explained Chen Jianguo， a scholar at the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Society.
However， over time the tradition of making sacrifices to the moon has given way to celebrating the full moon itself.
During the Northern Song Dynasty （960-1127）， Mid-Autumn Festival was designated as an official holiday. Celebrations such as eating mooncakes became more popular around that time. It was during the Ming and Qing （1644-1911） dynasties， however， that Mid-Autumn Festival became second only to the Spring Festival in importance. Families would offer fruits and mooncakes to the moon goddess Chang’e as well as sharing them amongst family members and then they would burn “moonlight paper” which would have pictures of Chang’e or the Jade Rabbit printed on it.
Much like the Dragon Boat Festival’s zongzi（glutinous rice dumpling）， and the yuanxiao（rice ball） of the Lantern Festival， Mid-Autumn Festival also has its own food associated with it， as mooncakes have become an indispensable part of celebrations.
The mooncake was originally used as an offering to the moon goddess. Over time， it has developed into a symbol of family reunion and a gift to be sent to friends and family members during the festival. The methods used to make mooncakes have been improved and refined over time too. During the Ming and Qing dynasties， bakers imprinted images—such as Chang’e’s flight to the moon—into the tops of their mooncakes as decoration. The fillings used also have much more variety now than in the past， including nuts， lard， fruit paste and egg yolk. This coupled with regional differences in the recipes makes for a huge variety of different flavors and textures between mooncakes. “The best way to eat mooncakes is to have them with Chinese tea as they are slightly oily，” says Yin Zhiwen， a baker at Beijing’s Daoxiangcun， a popular Chinese brand of pastries and cakes. “Chinese tea can also help with digestion as well as accent and compliment the flavor of the mooncakes.”
Another custom， which is equally as important to Mid-Autumn Festival as the eating of mooncakes， is viewing the full moon on the night of the festival. Today， sitting together with family members to appreciate the moon together is still considered an important part of the festival celebrations.
In addition， different regions have their own unique Mid-Autumn customs. For example， in Jianning， located in southeast China’s Fujian Province， people hang lanterns while the people of Chaoshan in Guangdong eat taro.
The festival in modern times
Today， although few Chinese know much about the festival’s origins， most of them recognize it as an important traditional festival and a time for family reunion.
“For me， Mid-Autumn Festival means that I can have three days off and can visit my parents，” Dou Huining， a 23-year-old civil servant， said.
However， for overseas Chinese， celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival is an important way for them to keep in touch with the culture of their ancestors.
“It is an opportunity for families to come together and educate the next generation （about Chinese traditions），” said Cathy Hung， Executive Director of the New York Chinese Culture Center.“It’s incredibly important to preserve tradition， especially in a distant land. You keep your heritage alive by sharing with your children what you experienced as a child.”