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The Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Festival, or, less commonly,
Mooncake Festival is a traditional Chinese festival/holiday
on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar
calendar (usually around mid- or late-September in Gregorian
Calendar). On this day the full moon is at its roundest
and brightest, which symbolises family unity and togetherness.
According to Chinese traditions, on this day family
members and friends will gather to visit scenic spots,
gaze at the moon, and eat mooncakes and pomeloes together.
Farmers furthermore celebrate the end of the agricultural
season and the harvest on this date. A very important
holiday in the Chinese calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival
is a legal holiday in several countries.
Origin
The origin of the festival is not very clear. It is
said that the festival originated from ancient times,
when people held ceremonies in honor of the Moon Goddess,
or to celebrate the mid-autumn harvest.
However another version is that the Mid-Autumn Festival
commemorates the uprisings in China against Mongols
in the early 14th century. Because unlike the Chinese,
Mongols did not eat mooncakes, the rebels hid a small
piece of note detailing rebellion plans inside a mooncake,
which was then smuggled to compatriots.
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