Moon installation for the Mid-Autumn Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
© Lim Huey Teng/Reuter
Looking starry-eyed at the moon. Mid-Autumn Festival
Many people in Asia celebrate the fall harvest season with the Mid-Autumn Festival—and since the moon is the, um, star of the show, it's also known as the Moon Festival. The holiday falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month each year and coincides with the full moon. Our photo features a moon installation from the festivities in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. The city is known for its colorful decorations and lively activities during the festival: Crowds flood the city to watch puppet shows, dragon dances, and parades lit by lanterns.
Of course, no festival is complete without food. Mooncakes are the most abundant treat at the Mid-Autumn Festival. These small, tasty pastries vary in style and flavor depending on the country where you're celebrating. Here in Kuala Lumpur, you can find traditional Chinese mooncakes but also unique local varieties, like some made with durian (a prickly tropical fruit known for both great flavor and ghastly smell) and cubilose (said to be delicious despite being made from dried bird spit).
But even if you're not keen to sample every kind of mooncake, you can come together with people of all races and creeds to celebrate Mid-Autumn. After all, the moon lights the way for us all.