In ancient China, moon worship was tied closely to fertility and the harvest. So the full moon that happened closest to the fall equinox became the holiday now called Mid-Autumn Festival, also called Moon Festival by some. Originally a celebration of the harvest and a plea to the gods for rains to ensure a good harvest next year, the festival has become a more secular bit of autumn fun, with children and adults alike eating sweet mooncakes, lighting lanterns, and giving thanks for all they have. Really, they had us at ‘mooncake.’
Mooncake time
Today in History
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World Rivers Day
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On the rebirth of the Olympic Games
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Autumn comes to Old Town
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Presidents Day in America’s front yard
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May we have this dance?
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Lunar eclipse
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Fall comes to the Last Frontier
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Twas a night just like tonight
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America s Playground by Derrick Adams
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Giving Tuesday
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Construction workers resting above Manhattan
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Listening to the sea
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Islands that turned the tide
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Mangrove Conservation Day
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Atlanta Botanical Garden
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Design for Each and All
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A view from the top
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El Valle de la Luna, Chile
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Atolls in the Maldives
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Prince Christian Sound in southern Greenland
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An endless journey
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Sweet! It’s maple syrup season
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A notorious gunfight that was incorrectly named
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Sharp-dressed bug
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Walking among the giants
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In the Most Serene Republic
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Fossil Day
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Bridge over the River Tara
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Where do those colors come from?
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International Day of Color