The Mid-Autumn Festival is a vibrant harvest celebration and holiday observed across a number of Asian countries and communities worldwide. It traditionally falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Lunar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest.
The official start of the celebrations for 2025 is Monday, October 6th. Some countries and cultures celebrate across multiple days.
A Celebration of Harvest and Family
Predominately observed in countries like China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, the festival is a time for gratitude, reunion, and observing the bountiful autumn harvest.
While the central theme of gathering with family and loved ones is universal, each culture brings its own unique traditions, whether it's a specific emphasis on the full moon, honoring ancestors, or celebrating children.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is known by several beautiful names, reflecting the cultural diversity of its observance:
- China (Mandarin/Cantonese) | 中秋节 (Zhōngqiū Jié) / 中秋節 (Jūng-chāu Jit) (Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival, Mooncake Festival)
- Vietnam | Tết Trung Thu (Also known as the Children's Festival)
- Korea | 추석 (Chuseok) / 한가위 (Hangawi) (Often referred to as "Korean Thanksgiving")
- Japan | 月見 (Tsukimi) (Moon Viewing)
- Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan | Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival
- Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia | Lantern Festival (Note: This is distinct from the Lantern Festival that takes place in the first month of the Lunar calendar)
Food is a significant element of the Mid-Autumn Festival, with specific treats that symbolize reunion and completeness:
Mooncakes are the most iconic food, widely eaten and gifted, in many communities that celebrate the "Mooncake Festival". These dense, round pastries traditionally feature rich fillings like lotus seed paste or red bean paste, often with salted duck egg yolks to represent the full moon. Modern variations include everything from ice cream to chocolate fillings.
In Vietnamese households, you may enjoy two main types of mooncakes: Bánh Dẻo, which is a sticky-soft, mochi-like pastry, and Bánh Nướng, the more common baked mooncake. Tết Trung Thu also features green rice flakes (Cốm) wrapped in lotus leaves and a colorful Five-Fruit Tray offered to ancestors.
In Korea during Chuseok, families prepare Songpyeon, small, crescent-shaped rice cakes steamed over pine needles. These are often filled with ingredients like toasted sesame seeds, chestnuts, or red bean paste. The crescent shape symbolizes future prosperity.