What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about fall? Falling leaves, pumpkin, and cinnamon? If you ask people from a thousand years ago, they will most likely say harvest.

In many East Asian countries, the lunar calendar was used to figure out when to plant crops and when to harvest them.

August 15 in the lunar calendar is about the time when the harvest is most abundant and when the full moon rises.

Therefore, countries like South Korea, China, and Vietnam celebrate the festival on lunar August 15, which is around September to October in the solar calendar.

Though there are many different versions of mid-autumn festivals, most Asian countries commonly gather with their families and thank their gods for the harvest.

The Korean Moon Festival is called Chuseok. It is often called a Korean Thanksgiving and is celebrated with various new harvests.

The holiday is three days long and Koreans visit graves of ancestors with tables full of rice cakes, fruits, and other cooked food. Mid-Autumn Festival.

This is a great opportunity for families and friends to get together in thanks and enjoy each others company.

Many families gather and play folk games and exchange gifts in celebration of the second biggest holiday after Lunar New Year.

The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is called Zhongqiu Jie and is also a celebration of the harvest. Families gather together and eat moon cakes, a symbol of family reunion, and light lanterns.

The Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival called Tet Trung Thu is a little different from that of the two countries above.

Although it is celebrated on the same day, it is closer to the Children’s Festival. Parents give new toys, fruits, and cakes to their children.

The Mid-Autumn Festival in Asia is very diversely celebrated with different traditions. In the time period where agriculture was key to living, the h o l i d a y was very important every year. A s we pass lunar August 15 this year, let’s thank God for the abundance of food, and let us not forget the hard work and importance of farmers all around the world.