The Chinese people are just getting back to work after a week off to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, which was on September 30th. This is a Holiday, followed by another week off from October 1st to 7th to celebrate National Day, so there will have been a lot of people returning to work after the long break on Monday.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Moon Festival, as at this time of the year the moon is very bright and round. Families get together to gaze at the bright full moon and eat “moon cakes”. It is a time to gather together, and to remember those who are far from home.
Moon cakes are round and measure around 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter and are 4-5 cm (2 inches) thick. Most have a thin skin and are filled with a sweet filling. They are served with Chinese tea.
A lot of Chinese festivals are based around the Chinese lunar calendar, and the date of the Moon Festival is set as the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.