China’s Mid-Autumn festival

Also known as the Moon Cake Festival, this widely anticipated Chinese celebration is a time for eating lots of special sweet pastry treats. They are made from a thin pastry shell containing traditional fillings of red bean paste, dates, nuts and jelly, and the idea is to eat the ‘moon cakes’ within view of the moon itself.

Held on the September full moon, during the autumn equinox, this traditional festival is all about observing the transition of the seasons. Special significance is given to the moon and the lunar goddess Chang’e, who is believed to live on the moon with her companion, a jade rabbit.