With long history there are many customs and traditions  around China. And many festivals come popular and adored by the public deeply. The most one is Spring festival which is new year's day in lunar calendar. Normally members will go back home before the day and celebrate Spring festival with family together. And another great festival for the Chinese is  Mid-Autumn Festival.
The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is Mid-Autumn Festival. It is the most important festival besides The Spring Festival. Mid-Autumn Festival is in the middle of the autumn just as the name tells. The eighth month in the ancient calendar is called "Zhong Autumn". Thus Mid-Autumn Festival also has another name of "Festival of Zhong Autumn".  On the night of the day, the moon is always fullest and the most brilliant. The ancient regarded full moon as the symbol of reunion. So it always is called "the reunion day". Of all the ages, people use crescent or full moon to describe vicissitudes of life. Man who travels in a place far away from home always found sustenance of affectionateness in the moon. There are several moon poems achieving the peak of poetic perfection such as Libai (Tang Dynasty)'s "Hang my head at the bright moon, bow my head missing my hometown", Dufu's "Dow is white from now on, moon is the brightest in my hometown " and Wang'anshi (Song Dynasty)'s "The spring turns the southern bank green, when can I return home with the moon?" The Mid-Autumn Festival is an important ancient festival. The ancient emperors had the custom of praying to the moon, both in spring and in autumn. Also folk custom also admires praying and afterwards watching the moon overweighs the praying. Serious praying had turned into a relaxing amusement. The rite of watching moon reached a large scale in Tang Dynasty, which was reflected in many poets of the time. In Dynasty of Song, Ming, Qing, the praying and appreciating were more and more flourishing whether the rite within and outside the imperial court. There are many "moon altar ", "moon pavilion ", "moon tower" remaining in different places. "Moon altar " in Beijing was built for imperial pray in Ming Dynasty Year JiaJiang. With the moon rising, a table is placed in the open air with melons and fruits such as moon cakes, guavas 'and jujubes on it. After the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the moon was over, family members had an "admiration-of-the-moon-dinner". Now the large celebration activity has replaced the ceremony of praying. 
   
