<P> In Sri Lanka, a full moon day is known as Poya and each full moon day is a public holiday . Shops and businesses are closed on these days as people prepare for the full moon . Exteriors of buildings are adorned with lanterns and people often make food and go to the temple to listen to sermons . The Binara Full Moon Poya Day and Vap Full Moon Poya Day occur around the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival and like other Buddhist Asian countries, the festivals celebrate the ascendance and culmination of the Buddha's visit to heaven and for the latter, the acknowledgement of the cultivation season known as "Maha". </P> <P> The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Han calendar--essentially the night of a full moon--which falls near the Autumnal Equinox (on a day between September 8 and October 7 in the Gregorian calendar). In 2015, the Mid-Autumn Festival fell on September 27 . It will occur on these days in coming years: </P> <Ul> <Li> 2017: October 4 (Wednesday) </Li> <Li> 2018: September 24 (Monday) </Li> <Li> 2019: September 13 (Friday) </Li> <Li> 2020: October 1 (Thursday) </Li> <Li> 2021: September 21 (Tuesday) </Li> <Li> 2022: September 10 (Saturday) </Li> </Ul> <Li> 2017: October 4 (Wednesday) </Li>

When did the mid autumn festival first start