The Mid-Autumn Festival

中秋节

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.

每年农历八月十五日，圆月当空，是中国传统的中秋佳节。

The round shape to a Chinese means family reunion.

“圆”对于中国人来说意味着团圆。

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

因此，中秋节也是一个合家团圆的节曰。

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

这一天，子女会回到父母身边。

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

甚至远在他乡的游子，也会不远万里回到故乡看望自己的亲人。

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.

中秋节的传统食品是月饼（一种以糖、油、芝麻、核桃仁、咸蛋黄、 火腿等为馅料的糕点）。

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.

在中国神话故事中，月宫中住着嫦娥、玉兔以及砍树人吴刚。

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

古时候的中秋节，人们会在月下摆设香案，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.

现如今，向嫦娥、玉兔致意的习俗已经淡漠了，但是每年的月饼都在改进。

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

在距离中秋节还有一个月时，各种各样的月饼就开始销售了。

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

不乏一些美味可口的高质量月饼。

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

中秋节期间来中国的海外宾朋可千万不要错过品尝。