Festival celebrations are underway in the U.S., honoring an ancient tradition rooted in East and Southeast Asian cultures. From lantern parades to mooncake tastings, families and communities across the country are coming together to admire the season’s full moon and embrace the togetherness symbolized by the occasion.

When is Mid-Autumn Festival in 2024? And why is it celebrated? It’s time to hang a lantern and rip open a mooncake as we explore the meaning of this annual event.

Visitors take pictures of the grand lantern show on display at the Garden Expo Park on the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Visitors look at the flowers shaped lantern lights display during the grand lantern show at the Garden Expo Park on the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing,

The sharing of round mooncakes amongst family members during the week of the festival signifies the completeness and unity of families.

Mid-Autumn Festival Gala, produced by China Media Group (CMG), was broadcast to viewers around the world on Tuesday night. As a festival deeply rooted in Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival serves as a meaningful occasion for expressing longing for home and celebrating reunion.

These days, fewer and fewer children walk around their neighbourhoods carrying lanterns in the shape of dragons, fish or roosters in the days leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival. For the uninitiated,

Across New York City, Chinatown mom-and-pops and Asian-American pop-ups alike are pushing out their unique takes on the mooncake.

Chinese Community Correspondent Faye Qiu shares how her family bakes mooncakes for the the Mid-Autumn Festival.