The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, a popular Chinese traditional event celebrating abundance and togetherness, will be marked tomorrow at the Garden of Serenity in Sta Luċija at 8 p.m.

Going back over 3,000 years to China's Zhou Dynasty, the festival falls on the 15th day of the eight lunar month of the Chinese calendar. This is the time when the moon is at its fullest and brightest in order to celebrate the abundance of the summer harvest.

Traditionally, Chinese family members and friends gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon and eat moon cakes together. Moon cakes are round pastries about an inch in height filled with lotus seeds, red bean paste, orange peel, melon seeds, ham, dried flower petals and salted duck egg yolk. The surface is patterned with clouds, the moon and the rabbit. They symbolise the reunion of families and couples.

To mark the festival this year, the China Cultural Centre will be holding an evening of poetry and music at the Chinese Garden of Serenity.

According to the legend, one will be able to look for the beauty and rabbit living on the moon. Besides a feast for the eyes and the ears, one's taste buds will find it hard to resist the festival moon cakes.

Entrance to the evening is on a first-come, first-served basis. One can make a reservation by e-mailing maltaccc@gmail.com, phoning 2122 5055 or by calling personally at the China Cultural Centre, Melita Street, Valletta between 8.30 a.m. and 1 p.m. for an invitation.

Entrance will only be permissible on the presentation of an invitation card.