Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival also known as the Moon Festival, is one of the most important traditional Chinese holidays celebrating the full moon, symbolizing unity, harmony, and family gatherings. The festival not only honours the moon but also represents the themes of harvest, prosperity, and family unity. The bright full moon is a symbol of reunion, as families look at the same moon wherever they may be.
The most famous legend linked to the festival is the tale of Chang’e, the Moon Goddess. According to the myth, Chang’e drank an elixir of immortality and ascended to the moon where she lives now. Her story is a central part of Mid-Autumn Festival folklore. One of the festivals traditions is that of eating mooncakes, which are round pastries filled with various ingredients like lotus seed paste, red bean paste, or salted egg yolks. Importantly, the round shape of mooncakes symbolizes reunion and completeness.
This Festival is celebrated by approximately 450,000 people of Chinese descent living in the UK, making up about 0.7% of the total population. It’s also celebrated in various other countries with Chinese communities, such as Taiwan, Vietnam (where it’s called the Tết Trung Thu), Singapore, Malaysia, and South Korea (known as Chuseok). Each country though has its own unique variations of the festival.

Mid-Autumn Festival is truly wonderful as it blends mythology, seasonal change, and family values, making it a cherished cultural tradition.