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

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Aug 27, 2022Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington
Mar 27, 2018Macro photograph of a migrant hawker dragonfly
Aug 25, 2024National Park Service Founders Day
Feb 11, 2018Te Rewa Rewa Bridge near New Plymouth, New Zealand
Jan 16, 2024Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta
Jun 16, 2025World Sea Turtle Day
Jul 27, 2018Composite image of a lunar eclipse
Feb 19, 2021Colorful cows of the reef
Feb 7, 2019A wonder in winter
Jun 30, 2021An impactful day
Oct 11, 2021Indigenous living
Dec 15, 2019The Battle of the Bulge 75 years later
Dec 5, 2024Tufa formations in Mono Lake, California
May 13, 2018Happy Mother’s Day
Sep 3, 2023Skyscraper Day
Dec 25, 2022Merry Christmas!
Sep 5, 2019A lush, green escape
Jul 29, 2024International Tiger Day
Oct 19, 2024International Archaeology Day
Jan 13, 2023Giant kelp in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
Nov 25, 2021Happy Thanksgiving
Jul 29, 2022International Tiger Day
Jan 18, 2022Winnie-the-Pooh Day
Jan 1, 2023New Year s Day
Sep 10, 2023Grandparents Day
Jun 11, 2022Misool Island, Indonesia
Dec 13, 2024Christmas market, St. Stephens Basilica, Budapest, Hungary
May 25, 2022The Alhambra in Granada, Spain
Oct 5, 2018Is that a smile?
Mar 15, 2025Ides of March