PHNOM PENH, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A lecture on China's Mid-Autumn Festival was introduced to hundreds of people in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on Tuesday.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in China, which is celebrated annually on the 15th day of the eighth month on the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, when the moon is full. This year's Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Oct. 6.

Mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy on the occasion.

Kim Pinon, an undersecretary of state at Cambodia's Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, said the lecture was crucial to promote cultural dialogue, mutual learning, and people-to-people exchange between Cambodia and China.

"The peoples of our two countries share a common culture of lunar worship despite some differences in the forms of celebration," he said at the lecture held at the Secondary School of Fine Arts.

Cambodian people traditionally worship the full moon with cakes, food, bananas, Ambok (pounded rice), coconut, and fruits, said Heng Kamsan, director of the Secondary School of Fine Arts.

"There are also some customs such as holding lanterns, lighting them, and burning incense sticks to honor gods, especially Chang'e," he said.

Chea Munyrith, president of the Cambodian Chinese Evolution Researcher Association, said the lecture was to share the cultural tradition of China in worshipping the moon, which has also been celebrated for thousands of years by the Cambodian people.

"Through this lecture, we expect that our younger generations will continue to nurture the tree of Cambodia-China friendship to be stronger and more beautiful," he said.

Horm Phanith, a 32-year-old civil servant, said the lecture is really useful, providing participants with knowledge of China's cultural tradition.

"After listening to the lecture presented by experts, I have gained better insight into the history and tradition of China's Mid-Autumn Festival," she told Xinhua.

During the three-hour event, artists presented a variety of traditional Cambodian and Chinese music, songs and dances. ■