It is August 15 of Chinese lunar calendar today, the traditional Chinese festival — The Mid-Autumn Festival. It is the middle period in autumn of one year at this moment, so known as the Mid-autumn Festival. In the Chinese lunar calendar, One year is divided into four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, winter. It is one quarter every 3 months. Mid-Autumn Festival is the second largest traditional festival in China (the Chinese New Year is the first largest traditional festival in China). The Mid-Autumn Festival originate from that ancient Chinese people worship the moon celestial being.

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, people main celebrations are: admire the full moon and eat the moon cake.

Admire the full moon

At the night on the Mid-autumn Festival, bright moon is in the sky, the earth is filled with the clear brightness. People regard the moon as the symbol of reunion. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is custom of admiring the full moon from ancient China. This custom originated from Chou dynasty (1066 B.C. - 771 B.C.), people should hold a worship ceremony activity every Mid-autumn Festival night at that time. People set up the big incense table, lay out moon cake and fruits such as water-melon, apple, plum, grape, etc., among them moon cake and water-melon can’t lack. The water-melon should cut the shape of the lotus flower. Later, this custom develops into the activity of admiring the full moon. During the Tang Dynasty and Sung Dynasty, whenever this day, all hotel and restaurant in the capital should redecorate and decorate with colored silk festoons, sell the fresh fruit and refined food, the evening market is lively and bustling, people mount towers, some moneyed households admire the full moon on own tower pavilion, arrange family feast, admire the full moon and chat together.

Today, on the Mid-Autumn Festival night, people put the round table in the courtyard, put moon cake and fruit such as water-melon, apple, grape, etc. on the round table, the whole family sit around the round table, chat while eating, enjoy the bright moon that is like jade in the sky together. The people who in a place far away from home, will place the emotion that miss homeland and family through admiring the full moon too.

Eat the moon cake

The traditional food of the Mid-autumn Festival is moon cake, the moon cake is round, signify the whole family reunions, Chinese have the custom of eating the moon cake on the Mid-autumn Festival, at festival night, People still like eating some water-melons, grape, etc. fruits which symbolize the reunions, pray family’s life happiness and safe. The taste of the Chinese moon cake is very delicious. The filling of the Chinese moon cake is generally walnut-meat, almond, sesame, hawthorn, lotus-nut, red bean, jujube, etc., the moon cake’s peel is crispy; moon cake’s filling is fragrant and sweet.

In a word, the Mid-autumn Festival symbolizes Chinese people’s love to fine life. Everybody can analyze the Chinese people’s personality characteristic from the traditional Chinese festival: Chinese people value interpersonal emotion and friendship very much.