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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A bite of ancient history
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In the belly of Fat Bear Week
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New Zealand s loneliest mountain
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Love blossoms
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FOR FOREST by Klaus Littmann
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World Rainforest Day
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A river on the tundra
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Christmas comes to New York City
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Cool water in the Quinault
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In the Himalayas for International Mountain Day
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Happy Boxing Day!
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Commemorating peace in Antarctica
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Bobbing for crab apples
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Protecting wildlife today and tomorrow
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At the shore of an inland sea
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May the Fourth be with you…
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Old Town Quito
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Windmills in Kinderdijk, the Netherlands
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Astronomy Day
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Happy Thanksgiving from an expert face-stuffer
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Apple Tree Day
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The frog prince?
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2022 Winter Paralympics
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Let s get lost
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An Alpine fairy-tale castle
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Avatars of the Wolf Moon
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Indigenous Peoples Day
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Marshland, Gloucester, MA
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Macro photograph of a migrant hawker dragonfly
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Womens History Month