Mid-Autumn Day to match White Dew in 57 years

A full moon in Nanjing's night sky, Aug 30, 2014. [Photo/IC]

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Mid-Autumn Festival this year comes earlier than previous years and coincides with the Chinese solar term White Dew.

The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, during a full moon, which falls on Sept 8 in the Gregorian calendar. It is a popular harvest festival celebrated by people in China and some other Asian countries.

This year the festival comes much earlier than previous years. Last year it fell on Sept 19 and in 2012 on Sept 30.

It is the earliest in 38 years as in 1976 it also fell on Sept 8. The next "early Mid-Autumn Day" will be on Sept 7, 2052.

It also coincides with the Chinese solar term White Dew, which indicates the real beginning of the cool autumn season, a very rare coincidence. They matched last time 57 years ago and the next time will be in 2052.

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. White Dew (Chinese: 白露), the 15th solar term of the year, begins this year on Sept 8 and ends on Sept 23.

As a sign of the beginning of autumn, White Dew witnesses the gradual decline in temperature and the vapors in the air often condense into white dew on the grass and trees at night.

So take care and keep warm when watching the moon on Mid-Autumn Day!