Zhou rulers would worship the sun during the March equinox and the moon during the September equinox. Whereas the practice of worshipping the moon at this time of the year goes back to the time of the Zhou Dynasty (circa 1046 BC – 221 B.C.). – 1046 B.C.), which was the earliest Chinese ruling dynasty to have been historically recorded. The origins of celebrating the autumn harvest go back to the Shang dynasty (circa 1766 B.C. The origins of the Mid-Autumn festival date back to over 3000 years, but how or when exactly the festival began isn’t clear. This year, it fell on the 21 st of September, which was just yesterday. It is celebrated every year on the 15 th day of the 8 th month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or the Mooncake festival, is the second-largest holiday in China after the Chinese Lunar New Year. It is a festival where people worship the moon, give their thanks to the divinity, celebrate a bountiful harvest and reunite with family. It is also celebrated in places where there is a significant number of people of Chinese heritage. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional Chinese festival that is celebrated in China, its surrounding countries and in parts of Southeast Asia. What is the Mid-Autumn Festival? Image Credit: Lajaja Kids We’ll find out why it is celebrated, how people first began celebrating the festival, how it is celebrated and what it means to the people celebrating it. This is a popular autumn festival, which is celebrated in China, other East Asian countries and some Southeast Asian countries. Today, we’ll be looking at the Mid-Autumn Festival. There are different types of harvest festivals, thanksgiving festivals and other occasions that allow the opportunity to reunite with loved ones. This is why many cultures around the world observe many festivities, where people show gratitude for the things that keep them happy, healthy and alive.
These changes overall, bring a change in mood and lifestyle as we start preparing for the cold winter.Īutumn is also known as a season of harvest that provides us with an array of colourful seasonal fruits and vegetables.
The temperatures are slightly cooler, days gradually get shorter, the air gets drier and the leaves change colours before eventually falling off the trees. Autumn, as we know, brings a change in season, marking the transition from summer to winter.