When is the best time for us to enjoy the bright moon? Of course, it is the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important holidays in China. We look at the moon, eat moon cakes, and get together with our family. The tradition is thousands of years old.

The moon, the key part of the festival, is special to most Chinese people. We enjoy and admire it. We use the round and crescent moon (新月) to describe reunion and separation (离别).

Our admiration of the moon dates back to ancient times. There is the legend (神话) of Chang’e flying to the moon—the most famous story about the moon. Many Chinese poets (诗人) connect the moon with homesickness (乡愁). For example, “Beside my bed a pool of light. Is it hoar frost (霜) on the ground?” from Jing Ye Si (Thoughts in the Silent Night) by Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai.

Today, the moon is still important to Chinese people. The Miao minority (少数民族) in Guizhou province has a special custom. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, young people dance under the moon to find their other half.

However, Western people see the moon differently. In some stories, the full moon is somewhat scary to people. The most well-known legend is the werewolf. A werewolf usually looks like a human, but changes into a wolf-like creature (生物) when there is a full moon. Also, if someone is very excited or even crazy about something, others may joke, “It must be a full moon.”

Every year, there are many people going home by long-distance buses during the holidays. There are more walkers on their way home. So there are more and more traffic accidents on the roads. It is said the number of traffic accidents across China in 2019 was 25.2 percent fewer than that in 2018 during the Qingming Day.

Tomb-sweeping Day, also known as Qingming Festival. It is an important occasion for Chinese to honor their ancestors (祖先). Most people go home in memory of their ancestors on that day. About 9.78 million Chinese visited cemeteries (墓地) to honor their ancestors or relatives during the holiday. A few people also spent the three-day holiday on leisure trains. So transportation safety is a big problem.

On the other hand, it is said Chinese have made 112 million trips during the holiday, up 10.9 percent from last year’s holiday. For the traffic accidents, some people lost their lives. This year, traffic accidents caused 10 deaths during the three-day Tomb-sweeping Day.

The fewer traffic accidents are all from the efforts of the police and our government. With the development of society and the government’s efforts, I believe everything will change better.

“A drizzling rain falls like tears on the Mourning Day/The mourner’s heart is going to break on his way”, it is from a poem about Tomb Sweeping Day, also known as the Qingming Festival. It falls on the 4th or 5th of April each year. It’s the traditional Chinese festival to remember the dead. Chinese people all come home to visit the tombs(墓) of their parents, grandparents and ancestors. They will sweep the tombs and clean away the grass around them. Then they burn paper money and put flowers and fruit in front of the tombs. They hope the dead can enjoy them and bring the family good luck.

However, not only Chinese remember the dead. People in other countries also have festivals for the dead.

In Japan, O-Bon Festival(盂兰盆节) is one of the most important festivals. It is held from August 13 to 16. It is also a holiday that serves as a family reunion(相聚). During O-Bon, Japanese people return to their hometown and visit their ancestors’ spirits return home to be reunited with their family. People perform a “bon” dance(盆舞) to welcome the spirits. On the last day of O-Bon, they put paper lanterns in a river to send off the spirits.

In Russia, people remember their ancestors on the Day of Rejoicing(欣喜). It’s usually in late April or early May. The name of this festival means birth and happiness. Russians believe that people shouldn’t feel sad for the dead because death means birth in another world. On the Day of Rejoicing, Russian people draw beautiful pictures on eggs and put them in front of tombs. After that they have a picnic together. They hope for a good life for both the living and the dead.