On this day, all the shops and restaurants in the capital must be re-decorated – ribbons on the plaques on the archway, sale of fresh fruit and refined food… The night markets were bustling. “Mid-Autumn Night, the homes were well decorated, the folks competed for the restaurant balconies to enjoy the moon.” In the Tang and Song Dynasties (early 7 th century – 13 th century), the Mid-Autumn Festival was more prosperous, it was recorded in Reminiscences of the Eastern Capital: At night, everyone gathered to enjoy the food and watching the moon. Watermelon was also cut into the lotus shape as it was sacred. Among them, moon cakes and watermelons were absolutely essential. In the Zhou Dynasty, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, every household set up a incense burner for the Lunar God and prepared seasonal fruits such as moon cakes, watermelons, apples, plums, grapes, etc. Mid-Autumn Festival Traditions Moon Watching During the Tang Dynasty the Mid-Autumn Festival has become an official holiday, and slowly transformed to become the second biggest holiday in China. This moon watching custom was passed on to the common people and formed traditional activities. In the Mid-Autumn Festival, they watched and worshiped the bright full moon in the sky, shared their feelings with the moon via poems and songs. Later, the aristocrats and literati bachelors followed the rituals. The ancient emperors had this custom & ritual system of worshipping the Spring sun and the Autumn moon. As early as in the classic book Rites of Zhou from 2000 years ago, there was already the word “Mid-Autumn Festival” recorded about the festival during Zhou dynasty. The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history in China. Like other traditional festivals, it has gradually developed and evolved. Not only in China, this festival is also celebrated in other Asian countries such as Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. A typical scene of the Mid-Autumn Festival is that the family members get together enjoying the full moon while having moon cakes. The full moon is a symbol of reunion in Chinese culture. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar with full moon at night. The Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节 zhōng qiū jié) is one of most significant festivals in China.
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