The Autumn Moon Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. It is also called the Mid-Autumn Festival since it generally comes in the middle of fall. At this time, the moon is at its fullest and brightest, making it an ideal time to celebrate the abundance of the summer's harvest, and remembering the lore of Chang E, the mythical Moon Goddess of Immortality.

One story tells it that Chang E saved the country from the everlasting rule of an evil emperor. She drank the elixir of immortality that was meant for him, and ascended to heaven to become the Goddess of the Moon. To thank her, the people celebrated the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month as Moon Festival day.

The Moon Festival is a time for family reunions. In the evening, family members gather to have a delicious dinner. Different types of fruits, along with taro roots and peanuts, are displayed near a window in the home, where one can see and enjoy the bright moon. Children might then enjoy a lantern parade around the neighborhood.

The traditional food of the Moon Festival is the moon cake, of which there are many different varieties. In the Yuan Dynasty, China was once harshly ruled by the Mongols. The people devised a plan to revolt against them. To deliver the message, their written plan was secretly embedded in moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the people revolted and drove out the Mongols.

Since then, moon cakes have become a popular staple of the Moon Festival.