In China and many surrounding countries, the Mid-Autumn Festival has a history of over 3,000 years, dating back to moon worship in the ancient Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC). It has been considered as such an important day that many poems were written about it, stories and legends on the festival are widespread, and its origin has been guessed at and explained by generations of Chinese.

- Source : http://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/mid-autumn-festival.htm
- History & Origins : http://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/mid-autumn-festival-history-origin.htm

To Sri Lankan Buddhists, the Binara Full Moon Poya Day in the month of Poṭṭhapāda, is a time of celebration, reflection and contemplation. A "poya" day refers to a date upon which a full moon will be visible, and the Binara Full Moon Poya Day is celebrated in September.

The celebration marks the first time that women were permitted to join the Buddhist order.

Queen Mahapajapati approached the Buddha and requested that women be allowed to renounce. The Buddha however rejected Mahapajapati's request three times. Undeterred, she assembled a group of 500 wives of noble princes before they shaved their heads and donned yellow robes to signify their commitment to monastic ways. Upon seeing their committment and with Ven. Ananda's intervention, the Buddha granted Mahapajapati and her compatriots permission to become bhikkhunis (fully ordained female renunciants), and this momentous decision is recognized on Binara Full Moon Poya Day.

- Source : http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=7209