【Abstract】Each nation has its own unique culture， and national culture has been constantly changing for a long history because of the spread and innovation of culture. The Mid-autumn Festival is on the fifteenth day of August of the lunar calendar. The formation and development of Mid-autumn Festival go through a long process， and combining relevant fairy tales， legends and folk customs. It associates all kinds of moon customs， including appreciating the moon， providing sacrifices to the moon and eating moon cakes altogether with their families. As a traditional festival， it plays an important role in Chinese culture. This paper explores folk customs and contemporary significance of Mid-autumn Festival so as to make people recognize and cherish Chinese cultural treasure.
　　【Key words】Mid-autumn Festival； folk customs； contemporary significance； moon cakes
　　I. The origin and historical development of Mid-autumn Festival
　　The Mid-autumn Festival is on the fifteenth day of August of the lunar calendar. In China， the Mid-autumn Festival， the Lantern Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival are called the three traditional festivals （Jiang， Li，