46 Fun Facts About Mid-Autumn Festival

On which day of the Chinese lunisolar calendar does the Mid-Autumn Festival fall?

15th day, 8th month marks the middle of autumn on the lunar calendar, which is how the Mid-Autumn Festival got its name.

In some years, China's Mid-Autumn holiday merges with which other public holiday into an eight-day break?

National Day, on 1 October, can land beside the festival, and the merged eight-day holiday brings some of China's heaviest travel of the year.

In the legend behind the Mid-Autumn Festival, where does the goddess Chang'e live?

In the Moon Palace: in the most popular telling, Chang'e chose the moon so she could live near her husband on earth.

What does the round shape of a mooncake symbolise?

Completeness and reunion are why the eldest in some households cut one mooncake into pieces, one for each family member.

What are mooncakes typically filled with?

Sweet bean or lotus-seed paste makes mooncakes so dense and sweet that they are usually cut into small wedges and eaten with tea.

What does the salted egg yolk in the middle of a mooncake represent?

The full moon is the image because on this night the moon is believed to be at its fullest and brightest.

Which regional style of mooncake is known for a thin crust around a large, rich filling?

Cantonese mooncakes have a crust only 2–3 mm thick, and giving mooncakes to clients has fuelled a market for luxury versions.

Ancient Chinese emperors held moon rites in autumn; which did they honour with rites in spring?

The Sun got the spring rites, and the autumn moon rites that nobles and scholars later copied grew into the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Which of China's Four Beauties was said to be so lovely that the moon hid in shame?

Diaochan, in the legend, helps her master Wang Yun bring down the tyrant Dong Zhuo in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

In the legend behind the Mid-Autumn Festival, which archer shot down nine of the ten suns?

Hou Yi shot them down because the ten suns had risen together and were scorching the earth.

What did Chang'e swallow before flying to the moon?

The elixir of immortality was a gift from the gods; in one telling Chang'e swallowed it to keep it from a thief, in another to stop a cruel husband.

In the Mid-Autumn legend, which apprentice broke in to rob Chang'e while her husband was out hunting?

Peng Meng, also romanised Feng Meng, forced his way in with a sword, but Chang'e swallowed the prize herself rather than hand it over.

Which non-baked mooncake with a glutinous-rice crust was created in Hong Kong?

Snow skin mooncakes skip the oven, which is why their soft, translucent crust has to be kept in the refrigerator.

What is the moon rabbit shown doing in East Asian myth?

Pounding with a mortar and pestle is the rabbit's job everywhere, though it mashes herbs in Chinese tellings and rice cakes in Japanese and Korean ones.

Which poet wrote 'Shuidiao Getou', one of the most famous Mid-Autumn poems?

Su Shi wrote it one Mid-Autumn night after drinking until dawn, while missing his younger brother, Su Zhe.

Which 'Chinese Sisyphus' endlessly chops a self-healing osmanthus tree on the moon?

Wu Gang, in one telling, was banished to the moon for a misdeed, and the tree heals after every blow, so his punishment never ends.

Which wine, tied to a tree's blossom time, is traditionally drunk at the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Cassia wine is flavoured with osmanthus, and families eat osmanthus cakes alongside it at the festival.

What do people write on lanterns for others to solve during the festival?

The custom is called deng mi, or lantern riddles.

In Chinese tradition, the Mid-Autumn moon was a favoured time for which life event?

Celebrating marriages suited the festival, and in parts of China dances were held so young people could find partners.

Which lake, home of the 'Three Pools Mirroring the Moon', is a famed Mid-Autumn moon-viewing spot?

West Lake's three small stone pagodas hold candles that shine on the lake like extra moons, a scene printed on Chinese money.

Which Tang emperor, legend says, received round 'hu cakes' after a victory, starting the custom that became mooncakes?

Taizong, known personally as Li Shimin, shared the hu cakes with his court, and eating them on that day spread until they became mooncakes.

In some Chinese and Taiwanese customs, who traditionally leads the Mid-Autumn moon worship?

Women lead the moon rites, following an old saying that men do not worship the moon and women do not sacrifice to the kitchen god.

Against which rulers were secret mooncake messages said to have coordinated an uprising?

The Mongols of the Yuan were the target: rebels hid the date of the revolt inside mooncakes handed out only to Han families.

Which future Ming founder and his adviser are credited with the message-in-a-cake plot?

Zhu Yuanzhang and Liu Bowen spread a rumour that only special mooncakes could ward off a deadly disease, so the cakes carrying their plan spread fast.

What dice game do families in Xiamen play at the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Bo Bing players take turns rolling six dice in a bowl, and the combinations decide which mooncake prizes they win.

For the Mid-Autumn Festival, which day do Hong Kong and Macau give as a public holiday?

The day after is the holiday in Hong Kong and Macau, while mainland China and Taiwan take the festival day itself off.

What do Taiwanese children wear on their heads to catch the moon goddess's eye?

Hats of pomelo rind are worn for luck, in the belief that Chang'e will notice the children and grant them good fortune.

What has become a popular way to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan?

Outdoor barbecues are a recent fashion that has become a Taiwan Mid-Autumn staple, with families grilling in streets, parks and by rivers.

Which Hong Kong neighbourhood stages a three-night fire dragon dance at Mid-Autumn?

Tai Hang's dragon is stuck with burning incense sticks, and hundreds of performers take turns carrying it through the streets.

What happens to the Hong Kong fire dragon after the ritual?

It is thrown into the sea with lanterns and paper cards, so the dragon returns to the water and carries misfortune away.

Where are Hong Kong's grandest Mid-Autumn celebrations held?

Neighbourhoods across the city mount lantern exhibitions with stage shows and palm readers.

What is the Korean harvest festival held on the same lunar date as the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Chuseok is a three-day holiday when Koreans travel home, tend their ancestors' graves and hold ancestral rites.

What shape are songpyeon, the rice cakes eaten at the Korean harvest festival?

Half-moon songpyeon carry a wish: in the most common belief, a half moon can still grow, so the shape stands for prosperity.

What is the Japanese moon-viewing festival called?

Tsukimi is thought to have begun among Japan's nobility, who took up the custom from China's Mid-Autumn Festival.

Which plant is used for moon-viewing decorations in Japan?

Susuki pampas grass is set out beside moon offerings to pray for an abundant harvest.

In which country is the Mid-Autumn Festival also called the Children's Festival?

Vietnam's children receive toys and treats from adults and parade with lanterns, since the festival is seen as theirs.

In the Mid-Autumn folktale of Cuội, what carried him up to the moon?

A magical tree lifted Cuội to the moon, and tellings differ on why, but every year people light lanterns for him at Mid-Autumn.

What is Cambodia's Bon Om Touk festival called in English?

The Water and Moon Festival runs three days, with boat races and a ceremony saluting the moon.

What do Peranakan Chinese in Singapore call the Mid-Autumn Festival?

Bulan Lapan night in Singapore sees children carrying lanterns around their housing estates.

Which festival, held one lunar month before Mid-Autumn, is a time when many avoid swimming or moving house?

The Ghost Festival month is when the gates of hell are said to open and ghosts roam the earth.

China's lunar rovers Yutu and Yutu-2 are named after what?

The Jade Rabbit name was chosen in an online poll, after the pet rabbit of the moon goddess Chang'e.

What did Chang'e 4 achieve on 3 January 2019?

First soft landing on the Moon's far side: Chang'e 4 managed it, and cotton seeds aboard sprouted, then died as temperatures plunged.

Which 1969 crew was told by Houston to watch for 'a lovely girl with a big rabbit'?

Apollo 11 heard the Chang'e legend from mission control before landing, and the crew promised to keep a close eye out for the 'bunny girl'.

At Mid-Autumn, crowds gather to watch the famous tidal bore on which river?

The Qiantang River's tides run highest around the festival, which makes it the best time to watch the bore.

Which region's mooncakes pair Xuanwei ham with sugar in a mixed-flour dough?

Yunnan mooncakes use Xuanwei ham, the province's famous dry-cured specialty, which is why they are nicknamed ham mooncakes.

In the Mid-Autumn legend, what did Chang'e's grieving husband do each year on the moon night?

He set out her favourite foods toward the moon, and neighbours who pitied Chang'e joined in, which spread the custom.