In 2021, the Mid-Autumn Festival will fall on September 21st (Tuesday). In 2021, Chinese people will enjoy an 3-day break from Sep. 19th to 21st.
Mid-Autumn Festival is also called Mooncake Festival or Moon Festival.
Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar.
Traditional Calendar Seasons
According to the Chinese lunar calendar (and traditional solar calendar), the 8th month is the second month of autumn. As the four seasons each have three (about-30-day) months on the traditional calendars, day 15 of month 8 is “the middle of autumn”.
Why celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival
For the Full Moon
On the 15th of the lunar calendar, each month, the moon is at its roundest and brightest, symbolizing togetherness and reunion in Chinese culture. Families get together to express their familial love by eating dinner together, appreciating the moon, eating mooncakes, etc. The harvest moon is traditionally believed to be the brightest of the year.
For Harvest Celebration
Month 8 day 15, is traditionally the time rice is supposed to mature and be harvested. So people celebrate the harvest and worship their gods to show their gratitude.
2021 Mid-Autumn Festival Dates in Other Asian Countries
Mid-Autumn Festival is also widely celebrated in many other Asian countries besides China, especially in those with many citizens of Chinese descent, like Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and South Korea.
The festival date in these countries is the same as in China (September 21st in 2021), except in South Korea.
How the Chinese Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival
As the second most important festival in China, Mooncake Festival is celebrated in many traditional ways. Here are some of the most popular traditional celebrations.
Enjoying Family Reunions
The roundness of the moon represents the reunion of the family in Chinese minds.
Families will have dinner together on the evening of the Mooncake Festival.
The public holiday (usually 3 days) is mainly for Chinese people working in different places to have enough time to reunite. Those staying too far away from their parents’ home usually get together with friends.
Eating Mooncakes
Mooncakes are the most representative food for the Mooncake Festival, because of their round shape and sweet flavor. Family members usually gather round and cut a mooncake into pieces and share its sweetness.
Nowadays, mooncakes are made in various shapes (round, square, heart-shaped, animal-shaped …) and in various flavors, which make them more attractive and enjoyable for a variety of consumers. In some shopping malls, super big mooncakes may be displayed to attract customers.
Appreciating the Moon
The full moon is the symbol of family reunions in Chinese culture. It is said, sentimentally, that “the moon on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival is the brightest and the most beautiful”.
Chinese people usually set a table outside their houses and sit together to admire the full moon while enjoying tasty mooncakes. Parents with little kids often tell the legend of Chang’e Flying to the Moon. As a game, kids try their best to find the shape of Chang’e on the moon.
Read more on 3 Legends about Mid-Autumn Festival.
There are many Chinese poems praising the beauties of the moon and expressing people’s longing for their friends and families at Mid-Autumn.
Worshiping the Moon
According to the legend of Mid-Autumn Festival, a fairy maiden named Chang’e lives on the moon with a cute rabbit. On the night of the Moon Festival, people set a table under the moon with mooncakes, snacks, fruits, and a pair of candles lit on it. Some believe that by worshiping the moon, Chang’e (the moon goddess) may fulfill their wishes.
Making Colorful Lanterns
This is children’s favorite activity. Mid-Autumn lanterns have many shapes and can resemble animals, plants, or flowers. The lanterns are hung in trees or on houses, creating beautiful scenes at night.
Some Chinese people write good wishes on the lanterns for health, harvests, marriage, love, education, etc. In some countryside areas, local people light lanterns that fly up into the sky or make lanterns that float on rivers and release them like prayers of dreams coming true.
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Post time: Sep-17-2021