Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. At this time the moon is full, and the day is also known as the Moon Festival. The round shape of the moon represents reunion, and this day should be spent with your family. If you are not with your family, you should go out at night and look at the moon so in that way you can still be together. This was originally a harvest festival, and on this day people eat round "moon cakes." In the 14th century, rebels would pass messages to their cohoris in moon cakes to plan the overthrow of the Yuan Dynasty emperor.

One of the most important Chinese festivals is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Chinese ancestors believed that the seventh, eighth, and ninth lunar months belong to autumn. So the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.

Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations date back more than 2,000 years. In feudal times, Chinese emperors prayed to Heaven for a prosperous year. They chose the morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month to worship the sun and the evening of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to hold a ceremony in praise of the moon. In the western district of Beijing is Yuetan Park, which originally was the Temple of Moon. Every year the emperor would go there to offer a sacrifice to the moon.

In mid-autumn, farmers have just finished gathering their crops and bringing in fruits from the orchards. They are overwhelmed with joy when they have a harvest and at the same time, they feel quite relaxed after a year of hard work. So the 15th Day of the eighth lunar month has gradually evolved as a widely celebrated festival for ordinary people.

People in different parts of China have different ways to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. But one traditional custom has definitely remained and is shared by all the Chinese. This is eating the festive specialty: cakes shaped like the moon.

Originally,moon-cakes were a family tradition. But gradually they began to appear at markets and stores. The moon-cakes made in various parts of the country have very different flavors. For instance, Beijing moon-cakes have a thin crust and fillings of bean and jujube pastes. So they are very sweet.

Suzhou moon-cakes have a special people's favorite. Guangdong moon-cakes are perhaps the most delicately made. The fillings are carefully selected and include sesame, almond and walnut kernels, shredded coconut, lotus seeds and egg yolk. So don't forget to taste all the delicious moon-cakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival.