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
Sep 17, 2026Santenay wine region, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 26, 2021World Rivers Day
Jan 22, 2021Cold? What cold?
Jul 20, 2025Moon Day
Feb 19, 2018Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Washington, DC
Nov 19, 2020That bill s just not going to fit
Sep 20, 2024Ocracoke Lighthouse on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
Nov 19, 2024Tasmans Arch, Tasmania, Australia
Jun 16, 2018Drop in on International Surfing Day
Aug 22, 2025Rolling hills of the Palouse, Washington
May 29, 2022Hyalite Creek at Custer Gallatin National Forest, Montana
Jul 1, 2019It’s Canada’s national day
Nov 1, 2020Native American Heritage Month
Oct 2, 2022Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Mar 24, 2020Springtime in the Mediterranean
Sep 28, 2025The town of Pienza in Tuscany, Italy
Jan 24, 2018Santo Antão Island in the Republic of Cabo Verde
Apr 25, 2021One giant leap for penguins
Oct 1, 2024Yosemite National Park anniversary
May 22, 2025International Day for Biological Diversity
May 29, 2020It s Bermuda s big day
Dec 1, 2018A treaty for science
Apr 11, 2024Churún Merú waterfall in Venezuela
Mar 23, 2022World Meteorological Day
Nov 5, 2020A medieval Moorish gem
Jun 1, 2024Pride Month
Jan 11, 2018Bow Bridge in Central Park, New York City
Mar 3, 2019Fin whales: A success story
Nov 6, 2019Saffron in bloom
Oct 17, 2019Red-leaf hunting in Japan
Apr 2, 2025Sandstone formations in the badlands near Caineville, Utah