The Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival. It traditionally falls on the 15^th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which is in September or early October on the Gregorian calendar.

In 2021, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 21^st (Tuesday). Chinese people have a 3-day public holiday from September 19^th to 21^st.

The Mooncake Festival is the second most important festival in China after Chinese New Year. Chinese people celebrate it by gathering for dinners, worshiping the moon, lighting paper lanterns, eating mooncakes, etc.

Mid-Autumn Festival Facts

• Name in Chinese: 中秋节 Zhōngqiūjié /jong-chyoh-jyeah/ 'middle autumn festival'
• Also called: Mooncake Festival, Moon Festival
• 2021 date: Tuesday, September 21^st. See more on Mid-Autumn Festival Dates.
• Public holiday: September 19–21 (Sunday–Tuesday), 2021
• Why it's celebrated: to worship the moon and celebrate the harvest
• Must-eat food: mooncake
• Celebrations: family gatherings, admiring the full moon, eating mooncakes, lantern lighting, etc.
• Greetings: The simplest is "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival" (中秋快乐 'Mid-Autumn happy').