How the date is worked out
The Chinese calendar begins each month at the new moon, as seen in China’s time zone, so the 15th day of a month comes at or near the full moon. The Mid-Autumn Festival is the eighth month’s, the harvest moon of the calendar’s autumn.
How it’s celebrated
Families gather to eat mooncakes and look at the moon, and children carry lanterns. The day is a public holiday in mainland China and Taiwan; Hong Kong and Macau take the day after it off.