A round moon. A shared table. A small pastry filled with generations of meaning. The Mid-Autumn Festival, often called the Mooncake Festival, is one of the most treasured celebrations in Chinese culture. Families gather beneath the full moon, light lanterns, and share mooncakes (round pastries with a rich, tender crust and sweet or savory fillings such as lotus seed paste, red bean paste, nuts, or salted egg yolk). The round shape of both the moon and the mooncake represents