The Autumn Moon Festival is a traditional Chinese celebration of the beginning of the harvest season and the autumnal equinox, when the nights become longer and the moon waxes large. The holiday is celebrated during the full moon of the Chinese lunar calendar's eighth month, when the moon is at its largest visually.
Many people observe the holiday by spending time together sitting in the moonlight.
The Chinese wear costumes portraying mythological characters and decorate with lanterns. As in many Chinese festivals, food is an integral part. The food most traditional is the Moon Festival is the moon cake, a round, moon-shaped pastry with a sweet filling, stamped with the emblem of the moon god. The cakes symbolize family unity. The ubiquity of the cakes during this season, according to legend, helped the Chinese to overthrow their Tartar rulers in the 14th century.