There are countless folk customs about the Mid Autumn Festival. Here, we take this opportunity to tell you about some traditional Chinese Mid Autumn Festival Customs

Custom 1: Appreciating the moon

The folk activities of appreciating the moon in the mid autumn festival began in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but it has not become a habit. In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon in the Mid Autumn Festival. Many poets wrote poems about the moon in their famous poems. By the time of the Song Dynasty, a folk festival centered on moon watching activities had been formed, which was officially designated as the Mid Autumn Festival.

Custom 2: Eating moon cakes

The emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), Tang Xizong, ate moon cakes on the Mid Autumn Festival. He felt that they were delicious, so he ordered the imperial dining room to wrap them in red silk and give them to the new officials. This may be the earliest record of moon cakes that we can see.

Custom 3: play with lanterns

As early as the Northern Song Dynasty (420 - 479), Wulin stories recorded the customs of the Mid Autumn Festival. There was an activity of "putting a little red light into the river to drift and play". Mid autumn festival lanterns are mostly played in the south.