The sacrifice to the moon has a very long history, which dates back to the Zhou Dynasty In ancient times, the emperors usually offered a sacrifice to the moon on the Autumnal Equinox at the place called Altar of the Moon. The Altar of the Moon in Beijing was where the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties offered a sacrifice to the moon. Through the passage of time, this custom has been adopted into folk lore and now the sacrificial ceremony is usually held in family units. However, nowadays this activity continues only in certain rural areas.