Over the moon

Before the annual Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls this year on September 14, traffic in Beijing gets even worse than usual. The reason, it is believed, is that the roads are crammed with cars rushing out of town for the long weekend - or zipping to the post office to ship ubiquitous gift boxes of "mooncakes," a traditional holiday food.

The festival originated during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when Chinese emperors offered sacrifices to the Moon God on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. But the tradition of eating mooncakes - round baked goods with sweet and savory stuffings - came later, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

Today the festival is celebrated as a time for family reunions, when relatives and friends observe the moon, drink wine or tea, and eat the delicious small cakes that resemble the moon in shape.