Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Zhongqiu Festival in China, it is a day for celebrating harvest and reunion.

The history of this traditional Chinese festival can be dated back to over 3,000 years ago, originated from moon worship in China's Shang Dynasty. Early in the Zhou Dynasty，it was called Zhongqiu Jie (namely, Mid-Autumn Festival in Chinese), while in some other countries, like Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, it is also called Mooncake Festival.

1,2,3,cheers, OK, you 've got a wonderful shot. A happy family reunion, I guess they've finished their dinner and prepare to appreciating the Moon.

The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth month according to Chinese lunar calendar, always in September or early October as to the Gregorian calendar, usually falls near the autumnal equinox of the solar calendar, when the moon is fullest, roundest and brightest.

In China, maybe two of the most important holidays are the Spring Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, both of which are occasions for reunion and enjoying a big dinner. Since China is a nation known for delicious cuisine and gourmet, in such an important occasion when all the family members gether together, how can be lacking in tasty food? There will be a table of various yummy food, while the typical food for the Mid-Autumn Festival is mooncake.

Pieces of mooncakes and cups of tea, chatting and relaxing, that is family

After a bumper supper, it is time for the whole family to seat together, chatting, appreciating the moon and the most important, to have pieces of mooncakes.

Legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival? Well, there are different versions about this festival, while the most widely-spreaded one is about Chang'e. It is too long a story, however, to be brief, it is for commemorating Chang'e, later a fairy image in Chinese legend, kind, pretty and laborious. While at first, she is also an ordinary person living with her husband--Hou Yi. One day, she mistakely took some drugs of his husband and became a farry on the moon, while she was lonely, she told Hou Yi to prepare some round cakes at the August 15th, and she would be home......Thus, Mid-Autumn Festival is time for family reunion. Got it?

imaginary image of Chang'e

The Moon Day in 2011 right falls on September 12, the day after tomorrow, we Chinese will enjoy a short period of holiday--three days, so Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to you all, buy yourself some mooncakes, will you?