As one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals, Mid-Autumn Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, Sept 29 this year.This day is also considered as a harvest festival since fruits, vegetables and grain are harvested by this time.

Here are the things you should know about this special occasion.

Legend

Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations date back to more than 2,000 years ago. In feudal times, Chinese emperors prayed to Heaven for a prosperous year.

They chose the morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month to worship the sun and the night of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to hold a ceremony in praise of the moon.

It was not until the early Tang Dynasty that the day was officially celebrated as a traditional festival.It became an established festival during the Song Dynasty, and has become as popular as the Spring Festival since the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Celebrations have continued ever since and more customs for marking this occasion have developed.

Eating Mooncakes

Eating mooncakes while watching the full moon is an important part of the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, and is more like a symbol of family unity.At the very beginning, moon cakes were served as a sacrifice to the Moon.

The word "moon cake" first appeared in the Southern Song Dynasty.Nowadays, moon cakes are given as presents to loved ones and it represents people's wishes to be together during the mid-autumn festival.

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作为中国最重要的传统节日之一，中秋节落在农历八月十五，今年是9月29日。这一天也被视为丰收节，因为此时水果、蔬菜和谷物已经收获。

以下是关于这个特殊节日的一些重要信息。

历史

中秋节的庆祝活动可以追溯到两千多年前。在封建社会时代，中国皇帝为了祈求丰年，选择农历二月十五日的早晨来祭拜太阳，以及八月十五日的晚上来举行赞美月亮的仪式。

直到唐代初期，这一天才正式被庆祝为传统节日。它在宋代成为一个固定的节日，自明清两代以来变得和春节一样受欢迎。

庆祝活动一直延续至今，并且有更多标志这一时刻的习俗逐渐形成。

吃月饼

在中国，吃月饼、赏月亮是中秋节的重要活动，更像是家庭团聚的象征。最初，月饼是供奉给月亮的祭品。

“月饼”一词最早出现在南宋时代。如今，月饼作为礼物送给亲人，它代表着人们在中秋节期间希望团聚的愿望。