The Mid-Harvest time Celebration is the second most significant conventional celebration to Chinese individuals after Chinese New Year. The following are 10 shocking realities about this famous occasion.
1. The Mid-Autumn Festival is often in late summer!
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls as early as September 8, which is late summer for south China; not even autumn! Its latest date of October 6 is still only early autumn for south China. Only in north China, where there are short summers and long winters, is the festival aptly named climatically, but only for about half of the time. So why is it called “Mid-Autumn”?
The Mid-Autumn Festival is always celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the middle of lunar month 8. The 7th, 8th, and 9th lunar months are classed as autumn. So actually it is the “mid-lunar-autumn” festival.
2. It’s also called the “Moon Festival”.
In Chinese convictions, the roundness of the full moon signifies ‘harmony’, in this way the get-together moon is extremely exceptional in Chinese culture. The Mid-Harvest time Celebration falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month each year, which is a “full moon day”.
The evening of the Mid-Pre-winter Celebration, the reap moon should be at its most splendid and fullest of the year.
3. Chinese people believe the moon is brightest at Mid-Autumn, but it’s not usually!
It is generally believed that the moon is brightest in fall, which holds some truth, due to least cloudy skies on average. But it’s no more likely to be a supermoon than any other time of the year.
Actually, the Mid-Autumn Festival does not always occur on the night of the full moon, which is contrary to popular belief. The Chinese lunar calendar does not coincide perfectly with the cycles of the moon. However, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month is always within two days of the harvest moon night.
4. Mid-Autumn Festival once ranked 2nd among China’s festivals.
Migrant Chinese workers would always try to go home for Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Now, many just go back for Chinese New Year as interest in traditional festivals is waning (moon pun coincidental).
The Mid-Autumn Festival is now joint third for public holiday allocation alongside Labor Day and three others.
5. Unbelievable! A box of mooncakes can be more than 1,000 yuan!
The expense of a mooncake is quite low, for example 4 yuan (approx. 1 USD) for one mooncake. In any case, the wonderful, extravagance packs are a greater cost. Consistently, star-appraised inns advance extravagance tailor-made mooncakes, which are once in a while estimated higher than 1,000 yuan (150 USD) for each case (generally 6 mooncakes, approx. 1 kg).
The extravagance mooncakes are typically loaded down with extravagance fixings, for example, shark balance, abalone, and bird’s home. Or on the other hand they are bundled in an extravagance box that is embellished with gold or silver. Individuals like to get them as presents for companions or families.
6. Chinese people make some huge mooncakes — some bigger than a jacuzzi!
Consistently, Chinese individuals will attempt to make a mooncake as large as conceivable to break the record.
The biggest mooncake was made in Shanghai in 2013. It weighed around 2,500 kg (5,500 lb), with a width of around 2.5 meters. It was a lot greater than a jumbo bed and heavier than a family vehicle.
7. 3-day Mid-Autumn breaks are popular — train tickets are sold out quickly.
There will be a three-day occasion during the celebration. Chinese individuals like to invest energy with their families, or to go external their towns on a brief excursion. Train tickets are typically sold out rapidly during the celebration time and popular places of interest are generally very swarmed.
8. Mid-Autumn was once the second “Valentine’s Day” in China.
In antiquated times, the Mid-Pre-winter Celebration was another Chinese “Valentine’s Day”, close by the Twofold Seventh Celebration (this normally falls in August). Single individuals used to give recognition to “the elderly person in the moon” — the god who joins individuals in marriage — and petitioned God for his assist finding with genuine cherishing and getting hitched rapidly. Couples partook in hanging out.
9. Chinese people like to climb hills or walk by a lake to appreciate the mid-fall moon.
During the Mid-Fall Celebration, appreciating the brilliant moon is exceptionally famous. In this manner, Chinese individuals like to find a spot near the moon to see the value in it completely, like the rooftop, or a mountain ridge. Or on the other hand certain individuals like to go to the lakeside to partake in a comfortable night with companions.
10. The Chinese youth love to give lucky money as Mid-Autumn gifts using WeChat.
In conventional traditions, individuals generally give mooncakes as gifts. Be that as it may, the Chinese youth will more often than not give fortunate cash — “computerized red envelopes” — to companions or families through their telephones. It’s a chic movement to praise a celebration.
Need to impart the Mid-Fall Celebration story to your loved ones? The 3-minute video beneath will show you about it.