The Mid-Autumn Festival in 2019 is September 15th.

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as "Moon Eve", "Autumn Festival", "Mid-Autumn Festival", "August Festival", "August Meeting", "Moon Chasing Festival" , "Moon Playing Festival", "Moon Worshiping Festival", "Daughter's Day" and "Reunion Festival" are traditional cultural festivals popular among many ethnic groups across the country. Because they coincide with the middle of the third autumn, they got this name. It is said that this The moon is the largest, roundest and brightest at night.

Since ancient times, people have had the custom of having a feast and admiring the moon on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The daughter-in-law who returns to her parents’ home must return to her husband’s home on this day to express perfection and good luck. It originated in ancient times and was popularized in In the Han Dynasty, it was finalized in the early years of the Tang Dynasty and became popular after the Song Dynasty. Together with the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival and Dragon Boat Festival, it is known as the four major traditional festivals in China. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the worship of the moon on Autumn Eve in ancient times. Since ancient times, the Mid-Autumn Festival has included folk customs such as worshiping the moon, appreciating the moon, eating moon cakes, watching lanterns, appreciating osmanthus flowers, and drinking osmanthus wine.

Origin of the festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a combination of various customs and events such as the emperor's sunset, autumn society, moon appreciation and the legend of the moon palace. It originated in the pre-Qin Dynasty and was finally finalized. In the Tang Dynasty.

The eclipse moon is the ancient emperor who worshiped the moon at the autumnal equinox. Zheng Xuan's note in "Zhou Li, Spring Official Zong Bo, Dian Rui": "The emperor always faces the sun on the spring equinox and the moon on the autumnal equinox." In "Historical Records: The Benji of Xiaowu", Pei Piao's annotation of Ying Shao says: "The emperor always faces the sun on the spring equinox and the moon on the autumn equinox." , worshiping the sun outside the east gate, facing the sun, and the evening moon. "The Moon Altar in Beijing, formerly known as the Xiyue Altar, was the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties worshiped the moon at the autumnal equinox.

Since there may not necessarily be a moon on the night of the autumnal equinox, and the moon may not be round even if it does exist, which would greatly ruin the scenery, so people gradually put the autumnal equinox moon worship in the Mid-Autumn Festival.