床前明月光
疑是地上霜
舉頭望明月
低頭思故鄉
A pool of bright moonlight before my bed--
I wonder: is it frost upon the ground?
To gaze at the bright moon I raise my head,
Then lower it with thoughts of my hometown. (my translation--see this earlier blogpost for an explanation)
It could be said that the Mid-Autumn Festival is analogous to Thanksgiving in the United States. This is because like Thanksgiving, it is a holiday that takes place in the fall and, as noted above, is strongly connected to family and with "going home." Also, like Thanksgiving, it is arguably the second most important family holiday of the year (Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival is the most important, just as Christmas is in American culture).
However, despite its importance to the Chinese people, for many years this holiday was given rather short-shrift in the People's Republic of China. For many years, it was not even an official holiday. It was only in 2007 that it was declared a public holiday, along with two other traditional holidays (Tomb-Sweeping Day or Qingming in April and the Dragon Boat Festival in May/June). The decision to make the Mid-Autumn Festival an official holiday is reflective of the Communist Party's efforts in recent years to associate itself more closely with traditional Chinese culture; in the earlier years of the People's Republic, especially under Mao, many aspects of traditional culture were abandoned or downplayed. On the other hand, in more traditional Chinese societies like those of Hong Kong and Taiwan, it has long had official status.
The date of the Mid-Autumn Festival is determined by the traditional Chinese calendar, which partially lunar-based. Consequently, the date of the holiday according to the solar calendar varies from year to year--although the holiday always occurs in either September or October. This year it happens to fall on the exact same day as the National Day of the People's Republic of China (PRC)--no doubt a happy coincidence for the PRC authorities. Nevertheless, given the various disasters the country has faced in the past year--most notably the COVID-19 pandemic, massive flooding and a possible food shortage--there may be less for those in power to celebrate this year.
Image of Mid-Autumn Festival decorations in Singapore's Chinatown from Wikimedia Commons