中秋节 The Mid Autumn Festival

农历八月十五是中国的传统节日中秋节。

按照中国的历法，农历七八九三个月是秋季。八月十秋季中间的一个月，八月十五又是八月中间的一天，说已这个节日叫做“中秋节”。中秋节这天，中国人有赏月和吃月饼的习俗。

秋季，天气晴朗，凉爽，天上很少出现浮云，夜空中的月亮也显得特别明亮。八月十五的晚上，是月圆之夜，成了人们赏月的最好时光。人们把月圆看作团员美满的象征，所以中秋节也叫做“团圆节”。

按照传统习惯，中国人在赏月时，还要摆出瓜果和月饼等食品，一边赏月一边品尝。因为月饼是圆的，象征着团圆，所以有的地方也叫做“团圆饼”。中国月饼的品种很多，各地的执法也不相同。月饼馅有甜的，咸的，荤的，素的，月饼上面还印着各种花纹和字样，真是又好看，又好吃。

秋天，人们一年的劳动又有了收获。中秋节的晚上，全家人坐在一起赏月，吃月饼，心里充满了丰收的喜悦和团圆的欢乐。这时，远离家乡的人，也会仰望明月，思念故乡和亲人。

自古以来，中国就有很多关于月亮的神话传说，其中最有名的是“嫦娥奔月”。嫦娥是中国古代传说中后羿(yi)的妻子。据说她偷吃了从西王母那里得到的长生不老之药，成了仙，飞上了月宫。

The 15th day of the eight lunar month is China’s traditional Mid Autumn Festival.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar,the lunar eighth, ninth, and 10th months make up autumn. The eighth months falls in the middle of the month, hence the name “Mid Autumn Festival”. On that day, the Chinese have the custom to admire and eat moon cakes.

In Autumn, it is fine and cool, there are few floating clouds in the sky and the moon at night seems  particularly bright. This is especially true on the 15th day of the eight lunar month, Since people consider the full moon as the symbol of reunion and satisfaction, the festival is also called “the Festival for Reunion”.

According to traditional custom, Chinese people enjoy fruits and moon cakes while admiring the moon. As the moon cake is round, symbolising reunion, it is sometimes called “Reunion Cake”. The Chinese moon cake has many varieties and production methods differ from place to place. There are sweet, salty, meat, and vegetable fillings. It has various decorative patterns and words.

in autumn, people reap the results of their year’s labour. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, the whole family will sit together to admire the moon and eat moon cakes, filled with happiness for the bumper harvest and a family reunion. At that time, people far away from hometown will also look up at the moon and miss their hometown and family members.

Since ancient times, China has had many fairy tales and legends about the moon, among which the most famous is “Chang’e Flying to the Moon”. Chang’e was the wife of Houyi in ancient Chinese myths. Legends has it that she swallowed an elixir stolen from the Grand Old Lady of the West, became an immortal and flew to the moon place.