Zhongqiu Festival (The Mid-Autumn Festival)
The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. It is a traditional festival for watching and admiring the moon, expressing longing for loved ones and praying for harvests.
The Mid-Autumn Festival could date back to people's initial worship of celestial bodies like the moon, and it derived from the custom of worshiping the moon at the autumn equinox (Sept. 22 or 23) in prehistory times. The word Zhongqiu, which literally means "mid-autumn," was already used in the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220). Historical records show that moon-watching has become an activity for the festival in the Jin Dynasty (265-420). In the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the custom prevailed, and people connected the festival with legends like Chang'e flying to the moon, Wu Gang cutting down the osmanthus tree and the jade rabbit mashing herbs. Many poets also left famous lines about the moon. In the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), the fifteenth day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar was officially set as the Mid-Au- tumn Festival, and typical food for the festival began to appear. In Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1616-1911) dynasties, people would place round-shaped fruits and pastries as offerings on the Mid-Autumn Day to pay tribute to the moon.
Nowadays, those rituals have gradually turned into grand and various folk activities where people admire the moon and have fun. Eating mooncakes has also become an indispensable part of the festival, as the mooncakes represent family gathering and happiness. In addition, there are customs like admiring osmanthus flowers, drinking osmanthus flower wine, eating crabs and playing tu'er Ye (figurines of the Rabbit God). The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated by all Chinese in the world. Influenced by Chinese culture, some countries in East and Southeast Asia also celebrate the festival.
中秋节
农历八月十五是中国传统节日中秋节，是赏月颂月、寄托思念、祈盼丰收的传统佳节。
中秋节源于中国古人对月亮等自然天象的崇拜，由上古时期“秋分祭月”传统演变而来。汉代已经有“中秋”的说法，晋代出现中秋赏月的记载。到了唐代，中秋赏月风俗日渐兴盛，人们把中秋与嫦娥奔月、吴刚伐桂、玉兔捣药等神话故事结合起来，许多诗人还留下咏月的著名诗句。北宋时期，农历八月十五被正式定为中秋节，并开始出现中秋节令食品。明清时期，每逢中秋节，人们会在家中摆上圆形果饼作为贡品，向月亮祭拜。如今，祭月拜月活动已演变为规模盛大、多姿多彩的民间赏月游乐活动，吃月饼也已成为中秋节的习俗，被赋予团圆、美满的象征意义。此外，中秋节还有赏桂花、饮桂花酒、吃螃蟹、玩兔儿爷等习俗。中秋节是全世界华人华侨共同的节日。受中华文化影响，东亚和东南亚一些国家也形成了过中秋节的习俗。
