Summer brought the green corn festival to give thanks for the ripening corn. In late fall, the harvest festival gave thanks for the food they had grown. Midwinter was the last ceremony of the old year. The Mid-Autumn Festival or Chinese Moon Festival, is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Mid-Autumn is a time for family and loved ones to gather and enjoy the full moon that is a symbol of abundance, harmony and luck.
Families enjoy picnics or special dinners.
Adults will usually indulge in many different varieties mooncakes with a good cup of piping hot Chinese tea. Along with the delicious mooncakes, children enjoy brightly lit lanterns, puppet shows, and lantern processions. The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in places other than China. Among these are Taiwan, Singapore, and Vietnam. In India, Onam is celebrated in the month of August or September.