They prepare mooncakes – noodle-like dough filled with bean or lotus seed paste and duck egg yolks or other fillings, which are steamed, baked, or fried. In China, families and friends gather to admire the mid-autumn harvest moon, light lanterns, burn incense, and plant trees. In modern times, autumn is a time for new beginnings – a new school year, new clothes, new friends, or a new outlook.Ĭultures around the world celebrate the first day of fall.Īsians have been celebrating the equinox with Moon Festivals, or Mid-Autumn Festivals, for 3000 years. The equinox was a time to relax, celebrate, and enjoy the bounty of the harvest, while people anticipated more scarcity or monotony in their winter diet. In traditional agricultural societies, the harvest season was drawing to a close, and people were working overtime to prepare stores for the winter months. On this day, the sun hovers above the equator, and most of the world enjoys nearly equal amounts of light and darkness. The first day of fall, or the autumnal equinox, is Wednesday, September 22 in the Northern Hemisphere.
