When is the Mid-Autumn Festival in the lunar calendar?

As a traditional festival in China, Mid-Autumn Festival is also a time for family reunion. Nowadays, young people's concept of traditional festivals in China has faded, and they may not even know the specific time of Mid-Autumn Festival. So Bian Xiao will answer this question now.

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, Moonlight Birthday, Moon Festival, Autumn Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Moon Festival, Moon Festival and Reunion Festival, is a traditional folk festival in China. The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the worship of celestial phenomena and evolved from the worship of the autumn moon in ancient times. At first, the festival of "Sacrificing the Moon" was held on the "Autumn Equinox" of the twenty-four solar terms in the Ganzhi calendar, and later it was moved to August 15th in the summer calendar (lunar calendar). In some places, the Mid-Autumn Festival is set on August 16 in the summer calendar. Since ancient times, Mid-Autumn Festival has had folk customs such as offering sacrifices to the moon, enjoying the moon, eating moon cakes, playing with lanterns, enjoying osmanthus and drinking osmanthus wine. It has been circulating for a long time.

The Mid-Autumn Festival originated in ancient times, popularized in the Han Dynasty, shaped in the early Tang Dynasty and prevailed after the Song Dynasty. Mid-Autumn Festival is a synthesis of autumn seasonal customs, most of which have ancient origins. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a colorful and precious cultural heritage. The full moon is a symbol of people's reunion, a sustenance for missing their hometown and relatives, and hopes for a bumper harvest and happiness.

Mid-Autumn Festival, Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day and Dragon Boat Festival are also called the four traditional festivals in China. Influenced by China culture, Mid-Autumn Festival is also a traditional festival for overseas Chinese in some countries in East and Southeast Asia, especially local Chinese. On May 20th, 2006, it was listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage by the State Council. Since 2008, Mid-Autumn Festival has been listed as a national statutory holiday.

The origin of Mid-Autumn Festival is the custom of worshipping the moon, a relic of ancient celestial worship. In the "autumnal equinox" season of the 24 solar terms, it is an ancient "Mid-Autumn Festival", and the Mid-Autumn Festival comes from the traditional "Mid-Autumn Festival". In traditional culture, the moon and the sun are the same, and these two alternate celestial bodies become the objects of ancestor worship. The Mid-Autumn Festival celebration originated from ancient people's sacrifice to the moon, which is the legacy and derivative of China people's custom of sacrificing to the moon. Sacrificing to the moon is a very old custom in China. In fact, it is a ritual activity of the ancients in some places in ancient China to "Moon God". According to research, "Mid-Autumn Festival" was originally set on the day of autumnal equinox in the twenty-four solar terms of the Ganzhi calendar. However, due to the change of the calendar, the lunar calendar (summer calendar) is used, and the date of the August and autumn equinox in the summer calendar is different every year, and there may not be a full moon. Later, the "Moon Festival" was transferred from the twenty-four solar terms in the dry calendar to the fifteenth day of August in the summer calendar (lunar calendar). Mid-Autumn Festival is a synthesis of autumn seasonal customs, most of which have ancient origins.