Mid-Autumn Festival 17 Sep 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, symbolising 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 Stock Photo

palette

Today in History

Crystal clear
17 Sep 2025A young bull moose, Denali National Park, Alaska, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

17 Mar 2024Saint Patricks Day
Alpine grandeur
Where is this historical bridge?
22 Jan 2025Ad-Deir, Petra, Jordan
29 May 2025Miravet, Catalonia, Spain
Beauty beneath the surface
4 Nov 2023Playa del Silencio, Spain
4 Jun 2025Cala Luna beach, Sardinia, Italy
4 May 2024Brighton Festival
2 Mar 2025Megalong Valley, Blue Mountains National Park, NSW, Australia
14 Nov 2025Mother manatee and calf, Crystal River, Florida, United States
15 Aug 2024Hang Sơn Đoòng, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Vietnam
25 Nov 2025Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy
Dream world
15 Nov 2023Rapa Valley in Sarek National Park, Sweden
Warm light through an ancient forest
Sentinel of the sea
3 Jan 2025Happy Birthday, JRR Tolkien!
A legend sprung from the ground
10 Jul 2025Independence Day of the Bahamas
22 Oct 2025Belogradchik Rocks, Bulgaria
A wave of remembrance
13 Dec 2025Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California, United States
21 Aug 2024Wolf Island, Galápagos, Ecuador
30 May 2024Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
Aug 23, 2023Skógafoss waterfall, Iceland
What are these beautiful sandy waves?
A hiker’s dream
3 Mar 2024World Wildlife Day
Sway with the Amazonian canopy