Mid-Autumn Festival 2026: The Moon Festival

The Legend of Chang'e

The archer hero Hou Yi shot down nine of ten suns that scorched the earth and was rewarded with an elixir of immortality. His wife Chang'e drank the elixir to prevent it falling into wrong hands and floated to the moon, where she lives with the Jade Rabbit. Families gaze at the full moon and think of loved ones near and far.

Mooncakes (月饼)

Mooncakes are dense, round pastries filled with lotus seed paste, red bean paste, salted egg yolks, or modern flavours like matcha. They are given as gifts between family, friends, and business associates. The round shape symbolises reunion and completeness — 团圆 (tuányuán).

Lanterns

Children carry paper lanterns in streets and parks on the festival night. Traditional lanterns take the shapes of rabbits, fish, and flowers. Many cities hold spectacular lantern fairs and light installations. Sky lanterns are released in Taiwan and parts of Southeast Asia.

Moon Gazing and Pomelos

The heart of the festival is gathering to admire the full moon over a reunion dinner. Pomelos (柚, yòu) are a traditional offering because the word sounds like 'protect.' Persimmons, grapes, and watermelon are also traditional offerings to the Moon Goddess.

What flavours do mooncakes come in?

Traditional mooncakes have a dense, rich filling encased in a thin pastry shell, often stamped with Chinese characters for longevity or the name of the bakery. Classic fillings include: lotus seed paste (the most prized), red bean paste, and salted egg yolk (one or two yolks, representing the full moon). Regional variations include the flaky Suzhou mooncake, Cantonese-style with pork and mushroom, and Yunnan-style with ham. Modern flavours have expanded dramatically in recent decades: matcha, taro, chocolate, durian, ice cream, and branded collaborations with luxury hotels. Snow skin mooncakes — made with a soft, mochi-like wrapper — have become especially popular for their lighter texture and refrigerated freshness.

Where is Mid-Autumn Festival a public holiday?

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a public holiday in mainland China (1 day), Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Malaysia. In Singapore it is a widely celebrated community festival but not a statutory public holiday. In Vietnam, the equivalent — Tết Trung Thu — is observed as a children's festival with lantern processions. Overseas Chinese communities in countries across Southeast Asia, Australia, Canada, and the United States hold mooncake fairs, lantern carnivals, and cultural performances. The festival's emphasis on family reunion and gift-giving makes it second only to Chinese New Year in commercial significance.