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One of the Four Great Traditional Festivals of China
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, the Autumn Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the August Festival, the August Meeting, the Festival of the Moon Chasing, the Festival of the Moon Playing, the Festival of the Moon Worshiping, the Festival of the Daughters, or the Festival of the Reunion, etc., is a traditional festival of culture that is popular among the many ethnic groups of China and the countries of the Hanzi Cultural Circle, celebrated on the 15th of the 8th month of the Lunar Calendar, or in some places, the 16th of the 8th month. The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, and in some places, the festival is celebrated on the sixteenth day of the eighth month.
The Mid-Autumn Festival began in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and by the time of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become one of the traditional Chinese festivals on a par with the Spring Festival. Influenced by Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival in some East and Southeast Asian countries, especially for local Chinese.
The Mid-Autumn Festival has been practiced since ancient times, with customs such as offering sacrifices to the moon, enjoying the moon, worshipping the moon, eating mooncakes, enjoying osmanthus flowers, and drinking osmanthus wine, which have been passed down to the present day and are still going on today. The Mid-Autumn Festival has become a colorful and precious cultural heritage, with the full moon signifying the reunion of people, in order to send thoughts to the hometown and relatives, and to pray for a good harvest and happiness. The Mid-Autumn Festival is known as one of the four major traditional festivals in China, together with the Dragon Boat Festival, the Spring Festival and the Qingming Festival.
On May 20, 2006, the State Council included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. Since 2008, the Mid-Autumn Festival has been listed as a national legal holiday.