← Back to Sacred Calendar
🌕
Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival)
The harvest moon festival — reunion, mooncakes, and honoring the moon goddess Chang'e.
📅 September 6🌙 Lunar calendar
✦ Why It Matters
The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important festival in Chinese culture after Lunar New Year, celebrating the harvest under the full moon of the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Central to the mythology is Chang'e, the moon goddess.
✦ How It Is Observed
Family gathering to gaze at the full moon, eating mooncakes (lotus paste or red bean with salted egg yolk), children's lantern processions, offerings to the moon, reciting moon poetry.
✦ Sacred Text
“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.”
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 1 ↗
Note on dates: This holiday follows a lunar or lunisolar calendar. The date shown is approximate for 2025–2026. Exact dates may vary by one or two days depending on moon sighting and regional tradition. Always confirm with your local community.