Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations held across the world

A girl paints on a fan during a celebration of the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival at the Chinese Cultural Center in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 14, 2024. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

From beautiful lantern decorations to mooncake-making workshops and poetry and song performances, Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations are being held around the world, bringing together people from diverse backgrounds to appreciate traditional Chinese culture.

The festival, celebrated annually on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, falls on Sept. 17 this year. As one of China's most important traditional holidays, it is a joyous time when families come together, appreciate the full moon and share mooncakes, a traditional pastry, to mark the harvest season.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is "for many, an uplifting reminder of shared history and heritage, and for all of us, another way multiculturalism enriches our modern Australia," said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a video post published Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter. "I wish you all the best for this year's festivities."

In Myanmar, students staged cultural performances, including poem recitals, traditional music and quiz sessions, to celebrate the festival at the China Cultural Center in Yangon on Saturday. The event attracted nearly 150 attendees, including university students and local employees of Chinese enterprises.

"For this festival, I really enjoy mooncakes. The tea is great," said 15-year-old girl Htet Thiri Win, who captivated the audience with soft, melodic notes as she played the Chinese zither.

Students perform during an event to celebrate the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival at the China Cultural Center in Yangon, Myanmar, Sept. 14, 2024. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)

Tin Maung Tun, rector of the University of Yangon, said that both Myanmar and Chinese cultures deeply appreciate the full moon, which represents harmony, reunion and happiness. The event featured poetry recitations for the Chinese-language students in attendance.

Similarly, the China Cultural Center in Laos and the Faculty of Letters of the National University of Laos (NUOL) hosted a poetry event. NUOL Vice President Thongsouk Keomany said this event is a platform for Lao teachers and students to appreciate the friendly cooperation between Laos and China.

In New Zealand, the "Mid-Autumn Concert of Timeless Poetry" was held Saturday evening as part of the three-day Auckland Moon Festival, attracting around 700 people.

Eru Oneroa, a 23-year-old singer from Auckland, performed a song alongside Chinese children, earning enthusiastic applause. "I learned to sing in Mandarin in the last few weeks, and I am glad the audience liked my singing," he said.

Concert Director Liu Luxuan believed that the performances showcased the essence of Chinese culture through music and stage arts and conveyed China's confidence and innovative spirit to the world.

People do a jigsaw puzzle during a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 13, 2024. Africa Star Railway Operation Company (Afristar), the operator of Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), and the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, Kenya's oldest university, on Friday partnered to host the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, one of China's most important traditional holidays. (Xinhua/Li Yahui)

In Kenya, Africa Star Railway Operation Company (Afristar), the operator of the country's Standard Gauge Railway, and the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi co-hosted Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations last week.

Wang Xinyu, a lecturer at the Confucius Institute, said the event was organized to promote cultural integration between the two countries. "Through sharing cultural festivals, China and Kenya will enhance understanding of each other."

Nelson Asienwa, head of corporate and culture at Afristar, said Kenyans are becoming more aware of Chinese festivals due to deeper commercial and cultural ties between the two countries.

Asienwa added that Kenyans enjoy celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival because it centers on giving thanks for harvests collected by farmers, which is also a common practice among African communities.

Participants make moon cakes during a workshop celebrating the mid-autumn festival at the China Cultural Center in Budapest, Hungary on Sept. 14, 2024. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

In Hungary, the Mid-Autumn Festival has grown beyond a cultural festival for the Chinese community, attracting curious locals to experience and understand the beauty of Chinese traditions.

Despite heavy rainfall and a sudden drop in temperature over the past weekend, the festivities drew over 400 attendees, a turnout that even surprised event organizers.

Jin Hao, director of the China Cultural Center in Budapest, reflected on the day's success: "I didn't expect so many Hungarian friends to join us ... We hope to share this spirit of connection and good wishes with our Hungarian friends through this event."