Beijing’s Mid-Autumn Festival: Celebrating the Seasons of the Chinese Calendar

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture according to the calendar – in fact, it’s right after the Chinese New Year in importance. Within the country, it’s considered an equivalent to Thanksgiving or the like—a reunion between families and a time for children to enjoy. Fairs pop up across the country, delighting in shows and crafts that make the occasion special.

The festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, which fell on September 29th and was celebrated with pomp and flair. Many five-star hotels in Beijing were rumoured to celebrate the event as a way to expose their foreign clientele to the wonders of the culture, and those like Pan Pacific Beijing celebrated as well – the origin of the festival being part of ancient tradition to bless the country’s harvests and related to older Emperor’s behaviors