[Photo/VCG]

Mid-Autumn Festival, also called the Moon Festival, is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar—essentially the night of a full moon. To the Chinese, a full moon is a symbol of prosperity, happiness, and family reunion.

Mooncakes, known as the festival's must-eat food, enhance the festive atmosphere. According to Dao Xiang Cun, one of the most prestigious, time-honored Chinese bakeries, more than 100 million of its mooncakes have been sold this year. Similarly, at a 'shopping festival' currently being held in Shanghai, daily sales reach 47,000 pieces for only one type of mooncake in some local stores.

China's passion for mooncakes is never dampened. While embodying the attention and appreciation of festive tradition, it more or less gives a sense of simplification to forms for celebration.

However, with diversified regional traditions in China, the festive food is much more than a mooncake; the festive activities are much more than buying mooncakes. Various delicacies and activities have been well prepared and presented to meet the demand of both the palate and the eye, as well as to mark a unique custom of the region.

Let's have a look at some of the festival's typical customs and food.

In this fanciful illustration, a family enjoys a Mid-Autumn Festival feast on a mooncake table. [Photo/VCG]