Mid-Autumn Festival --

The Mid-Autumn Festival is an official harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese peoples.^[1]^[2] The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar and Vietnamese calendar, during a full moon, which is in late September or early October in the Gregorian calendar, close to the autumnal equinox.^[1]

The Government of the People's Republic of China listed the festival as an "intangible cultural heritage" in 2006 and a public holidayin 2008.^[1] It is also a public holiday on Taiwan. Among the Vietnamese, it is considered the second-most important holiday tradition.

Alternative names

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also known by other names, such as:

Moon Festival, because of the celebration's association with the full moon on this night, as well as the traditions of moon worship and moon gazing.
Mooncake Festival, because of the popular tradition of eating mooncakes on this occasion.
Zhongqiu Festival, the official name in pinyin.
Lantern Festival, a term sometimes used in Singapore and Malaysia, which is not to be confused with the Lantern Festival in China that occurs on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar.
Reunion Festival, because in olden times, a woman in China would take the occasion to visit her parents before returning to celebrate with her husband and his parents.^[3]
Children's Festival, in Vietnam, because of the emphasis on the celebration of children.^[4]
Harvest Moon and Chinese Thanksgiving, terms used in the Chinese diasporic community to describe this as a harvest festival.

Gathering, such as family and friends coming together, or harvesting crops
Thanksgiving, to give thanks for the harvest, or for harmonious unions
Praying (asking for conceptual or material satisfaction), such as for babies, a spouse, beauty, longevity, or for a good future