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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Presidents Day
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A long winter’s nap, perhaps?
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Te Rewa Rewa Bridge near New Plymouth, New Zealand
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Peggys Point Lighthouse, Atlantic Coast, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Black bear cub emerging into spring
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Wheels up in Beijing
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International Whale Shark Day
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Marie Lake, John Muir Wilderness near Bishop, California
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League of Nations, 100 years later
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A black heron canopy feeding in Botswana
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Coming home to roost
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Mid-Autumn Festival
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Winter in the Wild West
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Autumn in Piedmont
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Turning darkness into light
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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
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Vatican City with St. Peters Basilica
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Rolling hills of the Palouse, Washington
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In Sicily, history is everywhere
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Flower of Life symbol drawn in snow
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National Panda Day
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Storseisundet Bridge, Norway
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Earth at Perihelion
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Today is World Refugee Day
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Watch your step
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Take the stairs
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Totally Thames Festival, London
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Mitsumata blossoms
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Göreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
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Commemorating peace in Antarctica
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