Mid-Autumn Festival Sep 17, 2024

Mid-Autumn Festival

For many Asian cultures, the point at which the moon reaches its fullest during the harvest season marks the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival. It"s traditionally observed on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. Dating back more than 3,000 years to China"s Shang Dynasty, this festival celebrates moon watching and the end of the harvest season. During the festivities, mooncakes—round delicacies filled with sweet bean paste, salted egg yolks, or lotus seeds—are often shared among friends and family. Lanterns of different shapes, sizes, and hues, symbolizing good fortune, illuminate the night. Asian communities across the world come together to showcase a mélange of cultural performances, heartfelt renditions of the Moon Festival"s poetic tales.

© Victor Y. Zhuo/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Sep 17, 2018Gateway to America
Sep 17, 2019Constitution Day and Citizenship Day
Sep 17, 2020Citizenship Day and Constitution Day
Sep 17, 2021Eye of the cave
Sep 17, 2022Oktoberfest
Sep 17, 2023Cuban tody, Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, Cuba
Sep 17, 2025A young bull moose in Denali National Park, Alaska

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct 2, 2021A river on the tundra
Mar 20, 2021It s time for spring
Jul 3, 2020Dog days of summer
Feb 6, 2018Maritime forest on Cumberland Island, Georgia
Aug 4, 2026International Owl Awareness Day
Sep 10, 2024Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal
Nov 4, 2019Stepping stones in Tollymore Forest Park, Northern Ireland
May 12, 2022International Nurses Day
Aug 6, 2024Molokini Crater, Maui, Hawaii
Jan 12, 2025Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Jul 30, 2022Milford Sound/Piopiotahi rainforest in New Zealand
Feb 12, 2022Darwin s Arch
Oct 4, 2024World Space Week begins
Dec 13, 2023Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Sep 22, 2021What s cuter than nuzzling rhinos?
Feb 20, 2025Ansel Adams birthday
Jun 8, 2022World Oceans Day
Apr 11, 2021The mountain of 30,000 sakura
Dec 4, 2022World Wildlife Conservation Day
Jul 25, 2021Illuminated Uluru
Oct 4, 2025World Space Week
Oct 20, 2020Reflecting on fall
Mar 5, 2026Evening over Göreme, Cappadocia, Türkiye
Jul 30, 2021Working for that cliffside view
Dec 5, 2025Maya site of Copán
Dec 30, 2019Sky island views
Jan 25, 2020Happy New Year! (Again!)
Mar 22, 2025World Water Day
Dec 16, 2019Cape Town at dusk
Nov 18, 2024Porthcawl Lighthouse, Wales, UK