In China the mid-Autumn festival called the Mooncakes Festival is the second favorite festival (next to Chinese New Year). It is a time of reunion with family and friends . It is also a time to honor the moon. Moon worship is a disappearing tradition but the moon is a symbol of family reunion.
Traditional rituals and beliefs about the moon have been passed down throughout Chinese history and still remain associated with modern mooncakes. Yao says, “The moon was worshiped in ancient China and played an important role in agriculture, the calendar, customs and poetry. Mooncakes used to be an important sacrifice to the God of the Moon in ancient China. Starting in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), mooncakes began to embody the meaning of family reunion. They used to be called family reunion cakes.”