The Mid-Autumn Festival originated from celestial worship.
It was evolved from the autumn evening moon worship in ancient times. Initially, the festival was held on the 24th solar term of the Gan-Zhi calendar (autumnal equinox), but was later moved to the 15th day of the eighth lunar month (some places also celebrate it on the 16th day).
The Mid-Autumn Festival started in the early Tang Dynasty and was popular during the Song Dynasty. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it became one of China's traditional festivals that are as famous as the Spring Festival.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as "Moon Festival", "Autumn Festival", "Zhongqiu Festival", "Eighth Month Festival", etc., is a traditional cultural festival popular among many ethnic groups across China. It gets its name because it falls in the middle of the third lunar month.
