Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Together Around the World — Four Major Countries Observe This Festival

By/Scenic Spots Home News Compilation
 
The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and many people have already started enjoying mooncakes and pomelos. For Chinese communities around the world, the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the three most important annual holidays. In addition to family reunions and moon gazing, each region develops its own unique customs, and moon barbecues are a popular cultural phenomenon unique to Taiwan. But it's not just the Chinese who celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival—other countries around the world also have similar moon-worshiping or moon-gazing festivals.

Japan’s version of the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the few occasions in Japan that follows the lunar calendar and celebrates the autumn harvest. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, known as “Jūgoya” or “Imo-meigetsu” (Potato Harvest Moon). The full moon that night is called “Chūshū no Meigetsu” (Mid-Autumn Moon), and the activity of moon viewing is referred to as “tsukimi.” Japanese people prepare “susuki” (pampas grass) symbolizing rice harvest and believed to ward off evil, along with “dango” (sweet rice dumplings) to pray for the health of their descendants.

In Korea, the Mid-Autumn Festival is called “Chuseok,” also known as “Korean Thanksgiving,” and is an important traditional holiday. Also held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, it includes a three-day public holiday (from the 14th to the 16th). This period sees massive homecoming traffic as families gather to reunite, honor ancestors, and visit gravesites. During Chuseok, Koreans make and share the traditional “songpyeon,” a crescent-shaped rice cake filled with ingredients like sesame, red beans, and walnuts.

Vietnam’s Mid-Autumn Festival also falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. In addition to eating mooncakes, Vietnamese children carry lanterns, play with flower lanterns, and in some places, release water lanterns or enjoy lion and dragon dances. The festival also doubles as Vietnam’s version of Children’s Day. Kids listen to the local version of the Chang’e legend, “The Tale of A Cau,” and enjoy walking around with “carp lanterns” symbolizing “leaping the dragon gate.”

In Thailand, the Mid-Autumn Festival is known as the “Katin Moon Festival.” On this day, people worship Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Eight Immortals, setting up offering tables at their doors adorned with fresh flowers, vegetarian fruits, longevity peaches, and mooncakes. They pray for “blessings for all beings and a long life for humanity.” Thais customarily eat pomelos during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which symbolize reunion. In Chinese communities, various types of lanterns are hung, and children carry lanterns while playing in the streets.