What is the Mid-Autumn Festival?
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a holiday primarily celebrated in China, Vietnam, and other East and Southeast Asian countries. Variants exist in countries like Korea and Japan as well. In Korea, for example, the variant is called Chuseok and in Japan, it’s called Tsukimi.
The key themes of the Mid-Autumn festival include gratitude and familial gathering—very similar to the values that also encompass the American Thanksgiving holiday. However, customs differ when it comes to the Mid-Autumn festival.
How do people celebrate it?
People celebrate different across East and Southeast Asia, but there are shared cultural customs.
Those who celebrate it do so by:
Reuniting and feasting with family
Viewing and appreciating the moon
Decorating colorful lanterns (popular with children)
Gifting and sharing mooncakes, a pastry packed with fillings like lotus or red bean
