The Origins and Traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, or Reunion Festival, is a traditional cultural festival celebrated by many ethnic groups in China and in several countries and regions influenced by Chinese culture. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. The festival is called the “Mid-Autumn Festival” because the eighth lunar month falls in the middle of autumn. In some regions, however, celebrations are held on the 16th day of the eighth lunar month.

The festival began to take shape during the early Tang Dynasty and became widely popular during the Song Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had developed into one of China’s most important traditional festivals, comparable in importance to the Spring Festival. Influenced by Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also celebrated in several East and Southeast Asian countries, particularly among overseas Chinese communities.

Since 2008, the Mid-Autumn Festival has been recognized as a national public holiday in China. On May 20, 2006, it was included in the first national list of intangible cultural heritage by the State Council of China.

The festival has long been associated with customs such as worshipping and appreciating the moon, eating mooncakes, admiring osmanthus flowers, and drinking osmanthus wine. These traditions have been passed down through generations and continue to this day.

The full moon has traditionally symbolized reunion and completeness. For this reason, the Mid-Autumn Festival has become an occasion for people to express their longing for their hometown and loved ones, as well as their hopes for a good harvest, happiness, and prosperity. It represents a rich and valuable part of Chinese cultural heritage.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, together with the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival, is regarded as one of the four major traditional festivals of China.

Origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival

There are several theories concerning the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The term “Mid-Autumn” appeared in ancient Chinese literature as early as the Zhou Li (Rites of Zhou). The Book of Rites also contains a reference to customs during the eighth lunar month, describing the practice of caring for the elderly and providing them with food and porridge.

One theory holds that the festival originated from ancient imperial rituals honoring the moon. The Book of Rites records: “The Son of Heaven worships the sun in spring and the moon in autumn.” This suggests that rulers were already conducting ceremonies to honor the moon as early as the Spring and Autumn period. Aristocrats, government officials, and scholars later adopted these practices, and they gradually spread among ordinary people.

Another theory connects the festival with agricultural production. Autumn is the season of harvest, when crops, fruits, and other agricultural products mature. Farmers celebrated the harvest and expressed their gratitude and happiness by holding activities around the middle of autumn. Since the eighth lunar month falls in the middle of the autumn season and the 15th day falls in the middle of that month, the day gradually became known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Some historians therefore believe that the festival may have developed from ancient harvest celebrations and rituals.