Mid Autumn Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday that is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th moon, which usually falls around late September to early October or the time of the fall equinox. Traditionally people would celebrate a plentiful harvest, the coming of winter, the moon, and family. Many people would give each other moon cakes to signify their best wishes of family reunion and go out to play under the full moon. People would also light lanterns and have other night time festivities. Now a days moon cakes are still very popular and people give them to all their friends and family. However, they do not carry the same meaning and, as many have commented, are much like the American fruit cake. Today Mid-Autumn Festival is much like the American Thanksgiving. It is a time for gathering with family and friends and being thankful that you can be all together. Those who cannot be with their families will look up at the big harvest moon and think about their loved ones looking at
the same moon when it is closest to the earth. Usually families will gather for a big meal (like Thanksgiving) and eat moon cakes. Then they will watch the televised Mid-Autumn Festival programs on CCTV.We decided that since we did not have families we would get together with our "Chengdu family" and celebrate. So Matt, Deborah, Laura, Sunny, and I all got together and had dinner near the West gate of campus and a famous MaPoDoFu place. MaPoDoFu, or spicy numbing tofu is a special preparation of tofu that was apparently invented at this restaurant and it is famous for it. We also ordered (my favorite) YuXiang Qiezi, or fish smelling eggplant, a cabbage and peanut sauce dish, a fish dish, and a pork dish. They were all really good. They also gave u
s moon cakes and fruit for dessert. These moon cakes were not the egg yoke ones and I actually liked them. They had a prune filling instead and were kind of like Fig Newtons. Then we rode our bikes to the river where they were selling paper flowers with candles in them you could let go in the river and make a wish. 
This used to be a tradition, but not many people do it anymore. We all bought some and added to the few hundred already in the river. 
I made a wish for James. It was really beautiful to see all the candles floating on the river. I finished up with my favorite Chinese food ever, milk popsicles. They are like frozen yogurt on a stick and are delicious. This one has walnuts in it.So tonight I'm looking at what I can see of the moon, through the clouds and smog, and thinking of all of you.
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