中國傳統文化 第23期:中秋節

The Mid-Autumn Festival

中秋節

On the 15th day of the 8th Month of the lunar calendar, the moon is round and the Chinese people mark their Moon (or Mid-autumn) Festival.

每年農曆八月十五日，圓月當空，是中國傳統的中秋佳節。

The round shape to a Chinese means family reunion.

“圓”對於中國人來說意味着團圓。

Therefore the Moon Festival is a holiday for members of a family to get together wherever it is possible.

因此，中秋節也是一個閤家團圓的節曰。

On that day sons and daughters will bring their family members back to their parents’ house for a reunion.

這一天，子女會回到父母身邊。

Sometimes people who have already settled overseas will come back to visit their parents on that day.

甚至遠在他鄉的遊子，也會不遠萬里回到故鄉看望自己的親人。

As every Chinese holiday is accompanied by some sort of special food, on the Moon Festival, people eat moon cakes, a kind of cookie with fillings of sugar, fat, sesame, walnut, the yoke of preserved eggs, ham or other material.

中秋節的傳統食品是月餅（一種以糖、油、芝麻、核桃仁、鹹蛋黃、 火腿等爲餡料的糕點）。

In Chinese fairy tales, there live on the moon the fairy Chang E, a wood cutter named Wu Gang and a jade rabbit which is Chang E’s pet.

在中國神話故事中，月宮中住着嫦娥、玉兔以及砍樹人吳剛。

In the old days, people paid respect to the fairy Chang E and her pet the jade rabbit.

古時候的中秋節，人們會在月下襬設香案，向善良的嫦娥祈求吉祥平安。

The custom of paying homage to the fairy and rabbit is gone, but the moon cakes are showing improvement every year.

現如今，向嫦娥、玉兔致意的習俗已經淡漠了，但是每年的月餅都在改進。

There are hundreds of varieties of moon cakes on sale a month before the arrival of the Moon Festival this year.

在距離中秋節還有一個月時，各種各樣的月餅就開始銷售了。

Some moon cakes are of very high quality and very delicious.

不乏一些美味可口的高質量月餅。

An overseas tourist is advised not to miss it if he or she happens to be in China during the Moon Festival.

中秋節期間來中國的海外賓朋可千萬不要錯過品嚐。