中 (zhōng): Middle, center. This character often depicts an object with a line passing through its center.
秋 (qiū): Autumn, fall. This character is a combination of 禾 (hé, grain) and 火 (huǒ, fire), originally depicting the burning of stalks after the autumn harvest.
节 (jié): Festival, holiday, or a joint/node (like in bamboo). It signifies a special, marked point in time.
Together, 中秋节 (zhōngqiūjié) literally translates to “Middle Autumn Festival,” accurately describing its timing in the middle of the autumn season according to the lunar calendar.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a cornerstone of Chinese culture, embodying the values of family, harmony, and gratitude.
Its significance is deeply tied to the full moon (圆月, yuányuè). In Chinese culture, the roundness of the full moon symbolizes completeness and togetherness. The word for “reunion,” 团圆 (tuányuán), even contains the character for round, 圆 (yuán). Therefore, admiring the full moon with family is not just a scenic activity; it's a symbolic act of celebrating family unity.
A famous legend associated with the festival is that of Chang'e Flying to the Moon (嫦娥奔月, Cháng'é bēn yuè). It's a romantic and tragic tale of an archer's wife who drinks an elixir of immortality and floats to the moon, where she lives eternally in a “Moon Palace” with only a Jade Rabbit (玉兔, Yùtù) for company. Looking at the moon during the festival is also a way of remembering and honoring this story.
Comparison to Western Culture: The closest Western equivalent is Thanksgiving. Both are centered around:
Family Reunion: The primary goal is for family members, near and far, to gather.
Harvest: Both have origins in celebrating the autumn harvest.
A Big Meal: A celebratory feast is central to both holidays.
However, the differences are key:
Symbolism: 中秋节 is lunar-centric (the moon), while Thanksgiving is more historically-centric (the Pilgrims and Native Americans).
Food: The iconic food is mooncakes, not turkey and pumpkin pie.
Emotion: While both are joyful, 中秋节 carries a gentle, slightly poetic and sometimes melancholic feeling, especially for those who cannot be with their family, as expressed in ancient poetry about gazing at the same moon from afar.
In modern China, 中秋节 is a public holiday, often combined with the National Day holiday (国庆节) for a “Golden Week.”
Greetings: The most common greeting is “中秋节快乐! (Zhōngqiūjié kuàilè!)” - Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
Family Gatherings: This is the festival's core. People travel back to their hometowns for a large family dinner (团圆饭, tuányuánfàn).
Gifting Mooncakes: Giving and receiving elaborate boxes of mooncakes (月饼, yuèbǐng) is a huge tradition. It's a common gift for family, friends, and business clients. The packaging is often more important than the cakes themselves.
Moon Gazing: After dinner, families will often sit outside, eat fruit and mooncakes, and admire the full moon (赏月, shǎngyuè).
Social Media: People post pictures of the moon, their family dinner, and the mooncakes they've received, often with captions wishing everyone a happy festival.