In China and throughout many Asian countries, people celebrate the Harvest Moon on the 15th day of the eighth month of their lunar calendar. The date in the Western calendar changes yearly and this year it falls on September 25.
The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is a little bit like Thanksgiving here in the US and is second only to the New Year celebration in importance to Chinese people. On this special day, Chinese people worship in temples and hold happy family dinners at home. It is a time of family gathering.
After nightfall they stroll under the stars to view the brightest and fullest moon of the year. Children run around with bright, colorful lanterns in many different designs and shapes. It is also a romantic night for lovers, who sit holding hands on hilltops, riverbanks and park benches, captivated by the brightest moon of the year.
The adults usually indulge in eating many varieties of moon cakes with hot tea. For generations, moon cakes - measuring about three inches in diameter and one and a half inches in thickness - have been made with sweet fillings of nuts, mashed red beans, lotus-seed paste or Chinese dates, wrapped in a pastry. Sometimes a cooked egg yolk can be found in the middle of the rich tasting dessert. People compare moon cakes to the plum pudding and fruit cakes which are served during English holiday seasons. Other traditional treats include pomelo, persimmon, steamed taro dipped in sugar and roasted chestnuts.
Each year during the Moon Festival, there are large crowds in the street and elaborate lanterns at night.
There are many legends and different ways to celebrate the Moon Festival. Central to all of those celebrations is gathering of family to enjoy the company of one another.
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