Mid- Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, and the celebrations date back more than 2,000 years. In feudal times, Chinese emperors prayed to Heaven for a prosperous year. In mid—autumn, farmers have just finished gathering their crops and bring in fruits from the orchards. They are overwhelmed with joy when they have a bumper harvest and at the same time, they feel quite relaxed after a year of hard work. So the 15th day of the eighth lunar month has gradually evolved as a widely celebrated festival for ordinary people.
Special foods for the festival included moon cakes, cooked taro, edible snails from the taro patches or rice paddies cooked with sweet basil, and water caltrope, a type of water chestnut resembling black buffalo horns.Night falls, the land is bathed in silver moonlight. Families set up tables in their courtyards or sit together on their balconies, chatting and sharing offering to the moon. Together, they enjoy the enchanting spell of the moon.