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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Arbor Day
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Into the woods
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Astronomy Day
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The citadel in Bonifacio, Southern Corsica, France
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International Jazz Day
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New Year s Day
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Paper lanterns on the longest night
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Meet our fuzzy Earth Day mascot
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Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
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A young jaguar on a riverbank, Pantanal, Brazil
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A peek at an explosive peak
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Best fronds forever
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Happy Cinco de Mayo!
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All hail the king of shrubs
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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
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A path into history
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Does it swim in slow motion too?
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Happy Holi!
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How lovely are your branches
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White Desert National Park, Egypt
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Porto Cathedral, Portugal
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Take me to the river
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A light at the edge of the world
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Crested caracaras
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Rice processing in Bangladesh
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Falling for the Canadian Rockies
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Pont dArcole over the Seine river, Paris, France
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Santo Antão Island in the Republic of Cabo Verde
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The Great Blue Hole, Belize
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Borovets ski resort in Bulgaria
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