Compared with the moon sacrificial ceremony, the custom of appreciating the moon is much more popular among modern people. The family members sit around a table and appreciate the moon, while talking to each other and eating the offerings from the ceremony, etc. The custom was actually derived from the sacrificial ceremony, which made a serious activity into a relaxing one. It started in the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280 AD) to the Jin Dynasty (265 - 420 AD). In the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD), the custom became very popular. There are many works of literature of that time praising the moon and expressing yearnings to distant relatives and friends. It was during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) that a folk festival involving appreciation of the moon was formed and it became the earliest official Mid-Autumn Festival.