In the Great Zhou dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival was a grand occasion, second only to the New Year and the Lantern Festival.
"The wealthy decorate their terraces and pavilions; the common folk vie for spots in taverns to admire the moon." This was how the rich celebrated.
Farming families lacked both the means and the high-minded perspective for such things. To them, the meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival was a family reunion and a chance to eat a good meal.
On this day, even the most destitute families would find a way to have a better meal. Those who raised chickens, ducks, or geese—animals they would never bear to eat on a normal day—would grit their teeth and butcher one. They would painstakingly prepare a feast, using the festival as an excuse to satisfy the children's cravings, and the adults could get a taste of some rich food too.
Though the celebrations were simpler and less elaborate, the measure of happiness was the same.
