Everything You Need To Know About The Mid-Autumn Festival

From paper lanterns and mooncakes to the Legend of Chang’e, learn everything you need to know about Mid-Autumn Festival traditions and activities in this guide.

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.

With over 3,000 years of history, the traditions and culture of the Mid-Autumn Festival are nothing short of substantial. Scroll on to learn more about the many and varied Mid-Autumn Festival activities and traditions, from feasting on mooncakes to reuniting with family.

The History and Origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival has thousands of years of history behind it with the earliest form of moon gazing dating back over 3,000 years ago during the Zhou dynasty (1045 – 221BC). Ancient Chinese Emperors would worship the moon every Mid-Autumn, believing it would bring them a plentiful harvest the following year. After seeing the Emperors worshipping the moon annually, the custom became popular amongst the masses and only grew with time. During the Tang dynasty (618 – 907AD), the upper class would hold big parties whereupon they would join together and appreciate the moon in droves.

Though the Chinese have been recorded worshipping and appreciating the moon since 1047BC, it would be another 1,700 years before the Mid-Autumn Festival would be established, during the Northern Song Dynasty (960 – 1279AD). Since that very first recorded Mid-Autumn Festival, it has become tradition to give offerings to the moon.

The Legend of Chang’e

The central legend associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival is that of Chang-e. There are many versions to this story but we will tell only one of them, which includes aspects from numerous versions of the well-known legend. Chang’e is the Chinese goddess of the moon. Legend goes that after secretly stealing and drinking her husband’s immortality elixir, she flees, floating up to the moon where she would remain for the rest of eternity. It is said that her husband, heartbroken from her departure, would make offerings to his wife every year there onwards on August 15. It wasn’t long before others caught wind of this ritual and started to make sacrifices to Chang’e themselves, solidifying the annual tradition of worshipping Chang’e and – by extension – the moon in Chinese custom.

Mid-Autumn Festival Traditions and Customs 

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. 

Gifting

When coming together with your family it is common to gift items to show appreciation. The most commonly gifted items during the Mid-Autumn Festival period are:

• Mooncakes – the go-to gift
• Tea – to accompany those delicious mooncakes
• Fruit baskets – for a healthy but delicious option
• Osmanthus wine – A traditional pairing with mooncakes 

Mid-Autumn Festival Activities 

There are a whole host of Mid-Autumn Festival activities to keep you and the kids busy during the festive period, including building your own lanterns to light up the sky and help you better gaze at the moon. Some of the most popular Mid-Autumn Festival activities include:

• Reuniting with the family over dinner
• Eating mooncakes
• Appreciating the moon
• Worshiping the moon*
• Make and hanging colorful lanterns
• Drinking Osmanthus wine
• Giving gifts
• Sending celebration messages to loved ones
• Shopping

*Over the years, some traditions like worshiping the moon have slowly started fading away and been replaced with new ones like shopping and travel.

Food

The most commonly eaten food and gifted item during the Mid-Autumn Festival are mooncakes (月饼) which symbolize togetherness and longevity. Originating over 700 years ago, mooncakes have an extensive history behind them. In the 13th century, the Mongols successfully invaded China, starting the oppressive Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). It is said that i an attempt to overthrow the Mongols, a rebel leader’s confidant Liu Bowen suggested a rebellion to coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Liu Bowen would give residents mooncakes with the permission of the Mongols, as a blessing of longevity to the Mongol leader. However, inside each cake there was a piece of paper saying ‘kill the Mongols on the 15th day of the 8th month.’ This plan was successful and the Mongols were soon overthrown. While it’s hard to gauge just how true these mooncake revolution stories are, they do make for fun retelling every year during the Mid-Autumn period. Today, unlike the story might suggest, mooncakes are typically given as gifts to friends and family as an expression of love and good wishes during the lead up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, and can come in a whole range of different flavors and varieties. 

Want to indulge in the go-to traditional delicacy of the Mid-Autumn Festival? Discover the best mooncakes in Hong Kong here.

Mid-Autumn isn’t just about mooncakes, though. The tradition of eating pumpkin during the Mid-Autumn Festival, for example, dates all the way back to ancient China, when poorer people couldn’t afford mooncakes and would buy and eat pumpkins instead. Nowadays, eating pumpkin during the Mid-Autumn Festival is pretty common, as is supposed to bring good health.

In Shanghai, where customs differ slightly, people have their own tradition of joining together over dinner to eat hairy crab dipped in vinegar and ginger. This is because hairy crabs are only in ‘season’ in September and October when the crabs are getting ready to lay their eggs (which according to Chinese people is when they are the most delicious), making them a much sought-after delicacy during the festive period.

Another common delicacy eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival is taro, a tradition that dates back to the Qing dynasty. The pronunciation of Taro (芋头 yù tóu) is closely similar to “余头 (yú tóu)” which means good luck, as Chinese locals believe that eating Taro during Mid-Autumn Festival brings good luck as well as expelling evil spirits and disaster.

Mid-Autumn Festival Activities in Hong Kong

Hong Kong prides itself on its vast litany of Mid-Autumn Festival activities which attract thousands of revelers every year. One of the most popular events is the Lantern Carnival in Victoria Park which boasts a spectacular lantern display, impressive fire dragon dance, large scale kungfu demonstrations, folk music, and craft displays. Children and adults even have the opportunity to practice paper cutting, making lanterns, and even woodblock printing at this annual event.

Another event famous within Hong Kong culture is the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance Parade. The dragon, which is a whopping 67 meters long and made out of thousands of burning incense sticks (hence the name) is carried through Tai Hang streets for three days – even making an appearance at Victoria Park on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Other events include heading to Tsim Sha Tsui harbor and viewing the interactive lanterns there, or taking a walking tour of Hong Kong to view the thematic lantern displays all over the city. To keep abreast of all the upcoming events, check Timeout’s coverage of Mid-Autumn Festival Activities in Hong Kong.

Read more: Mid-Autumn Festival Lantern Carnivals in Hong Kong 2021

Feature Image courtesy of Shutterstock, Photo 1 courtesy of Daydaynews.cc, Photo 2 courtesy of CGTN, Photo 3 courtesy of LittlePassports, Photo 4 courtesy of Tickikids.

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