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
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Windmills in Kinderdijk, the Netherlands
-
Spring comes to Glacier National Park
-
A palace for the public
-
National Gardening Week
-
US Coast Guard: Protecting us for 105 years
-
Gdańsk on the banks of the Motława, Poland
-
Groovy!
-
Diving into World Oceans Day
-
Birds of the Drömling
-
International Talk Like a Pirate Day
-
Computer science on the page
-
National Bison Month
-
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
-
Best fronds forever
-
Tibetan New Year
-
Atlantic puffin, Iceland
-
Cranborne Chase, England
-
Antarctica Day
-
This park is Superkilen
-
It s National Camera Day. Get the picture?
-
Cool water in the Quinault
-
Here we honor the women who ve served
-
National Park Service Founders Day
-
Signs of life in the Empty Quarter
-
Frost-covered dunes on Mars
-
Folegandros Island, Cyclades, Greece
-
India Republic Day
-
Summer’s in home stretch
-
Light show at the skatepark
-
How Quảng Ngãi got its grove back
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

