A joyous atmosphere permeated the Paralympic village in Beijing, as athletes from both China and foreign countries celebrated China's Mid-Autumn Festival together.

The festival, a traditional Chinese holiday for family reunion, good harvet and eating "moon cakes," fell on Sunday this year.

The main canteen of the Paralympic villages had prepared moon cakes of various flavors and stuffings. A special stand at the entrance told people in pictures and words the interesting stories of the festival.

Lindy Hou and Toireasa Gallagher from Australia said they already knew about the festival and this time was looking forward to "taste it."

"Since our competition is finished today, we can eat as much as we like," said Gallagher with a laugh.

Robin Brueckmann from the United States said she had taken a moon cake at lunch and found it very good. She also said she missed her husband and families and would call them at this special family reunion moment.

Brueckmann, fascinated by a girl playing a "Zhen," a traditional Chinese zither near the stand, said she was fascinated by the things Chinese in the Paralympic village. "I really love everything in the village that gives me a strong feel of the Chinese culture," she said.

For many Chinese athletes, this year's festival was also special as they could not spend it with their families as before, but had the chance to make many new friends.

Chinese table tennis player Lei Lina said she felt warm in her heart after eating moon cakes. "Sweet and tasty. It is as if I was back at home," said Lei.

Chinese shooter Ni Hedong said he would spend the holiday with his teammates, coaches and the team head.

"Anyway, it is rare to spend the holiday with people of my team, and this is really a special Mid-Autumn festival," said Ni.

(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2008)