Moonlit celebrations

Across Asia and beyond, communities celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with glowing lanterns, dragon dances, cultural performances and family gatherings.

1. A child looking up at lanterns during a Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Traditionally observed on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the festival is marked by lanterns, mooncakes and family gatherings. — Xinhua

2. A young woman in traditional ethnic attire poses for photographs at Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. Known locally as Tet Trung Thu, the festival centres on children, family togetherness and the autumn harvest. — AFP

3. Visitors walking beneath a canopy of glowing lanterns in San Marino, Los Angeles, California, United States. Celebrated mainly across East and Southeast Asia, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also observed by Chinese, Vietnamese and other Asian diaspora communities in major cities around the world. — Xinhua

4. People gathering around a giant dragon lantern float in Hanoi, Vietnam. Lantern displays and colourful processions are among the festival’s most popular traditions, particularly among children. — AFP

5. Folk artists performing a spectacular molten-iron fireworks display in an ancient town in Luoyang, Henan province, central China. — Xinhua

6. A woman displays a traditional Vietnamese ‘to he’ figurine shaped like a lion dance head at a stall in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Made from rice flour, the colourful creations are a popular feature of Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, particularly among children. — AFP

7. People watching a lively cultural performance in Xuan’en, Hubei province, central China, during Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. — Xinhua

8. Women in traditional costumes pose for photographs in Yu Garden during Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations in Shanghai, China. — AFP

99. A straw fire dragon studded with incense sticks is paraded during the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance in Hong Kong as part of Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. The centuries-old tradition is one of the city’s signature festivities, with the illuminated dragon carried through the streets to the beat of drums. — AP