让最圆的明月陪伴你和我，让明月传达我的心愿与祝福… 祝福中秋佳节快乐，月圆人圆事事圆满！

　　The joyous Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon，around the time of the autumn equinox（秋分）. Many referred to it simply as the “Fifteenth of the Eighth Moon”.

　　This day was also considered as a harvest festival since fruits，vegetables and grain had been harvested by this time and food was abundant. Food offerings were placed on an altar set up in the courtyard. Apples，pears，peaches，grapes，pomegranates（石榴），melons，oranges and pomelos（柚子）might be seen. Special foods for the festival included moon cakes，cooked taro（芋头）and water caltrope（菱角），a type of water chestnut resembling black buffalo horns. Some people insisted that cooked taro be included because at the time of creation，taro was the first food discovered at night in the moonlight. Of all these foods，it could not be omitted from the Mid-Autumn Festival.

　　The round moon cakes，measuring about three inches in diameter and one and a half inches in thickness，resembled Western fruitcakes in taste and consistency. These cakes were made with melon seeds（西瓜子），lotus seeds（莲籽），almonds（杏仁），minced meats，bean paste，orange peels and lard（猪油）. A golden yolk（蛋黄）from a salted duck egg was placed at the center of each cake，and the golden brown crust was decorated with symbols of the festival. Traditionally，thirteen moon cakes were piled in a pyramid to symbolize the thirteen moons of a “complete year，” that is，twelve moons plus one intercalary（闰月的）moon.

　　The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festivity for both the Han and minority nationalities. The custom of worshipping the moon can be traced back as far as the ancient Xia and Shang Dynasties（2000 B.C.-1066 B.C.）. In the Zhou Dynasty（1066 B.C.-221 B.C.），people hold ceremonies to greet winter and worship the moon whenever the Mid-Autumn Festival sets in. It becomes very prevalent in the Tang Dynasty（618-907 A.D.）that people enjoy and worship the full moon. In the Southern Song Dynasty（1127-1279 A.D.），however，people send round moon cakes to their relatives as gifts in expression of their best wishes of family reunion. When it becomes dark，they look up at the full silver moon or go sightseeing on lakes to celebrate the festival. Since the Ming（1368-1644 A.D. ）and Qing Dynasties（1644-1911A.D.），the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration becomes unprecedented popular. Together with the celebration there appear some special customs in different parts of the country，such as burning incense（熏香），planting Mid-Autumn trees，lighting lanterns on towers and fire dragon dances. However，the custom of playing under the moon is not so popular as it used to be nowadays，but it is not less popular to enjoy the bright silver moon. Whenever the festival sets in，people will look up at the full silver moon，drinking wine to celebrate their happy life or thinking of their relatives and friends far from home，and extending all of their best wishes to them.

 【原文】

每年农历八月十五日，是传统的中秋佳节。 
【译文】 
Annually lunar calendar August 15th, is a traditional Mid-Autumn joyful festival. 

【原文】 
这时是一年秋季的中期，所以被称为中秋。 
【译文】 
Is a year at this time, the middle of the autumn, so was be called Mid-Autumn. 

【原文】 
在中国的农历里，一年分为四季，每季又分为孟、仲、季三个部分，因而中秋也称仲秋。 
【译文】 
In the lunar calendar of China, a year is divided into the four seasons, is divided into three parts of 孟 , 仲 , quarter again every quarter, as a result the Mid-Autumn also calls the autumn of 仲 . 

【原文】 
八月十五的月亮比其他几个月的满月更圆，更明亮，所以又叫做“月夕”，“八月节”。 
【译文】 
August 15 of moon compare the full moon of other a few months more circle, brighter, so be called" the 夕 of month" again," August stanza". 

【原文】 
此夜，人们仰望天空如玉如盘的朗朗明月，自然会期盼家人团聚。 
【译文】 
This night, the people look up at the sky,such as jade,,such as the bright moon of 朗朗 of the dish,, the natural session hopes the family family reunion. 

【原文】 
远在他乡的游子，也借此寄托自己对故乡和亲人的思念之情。 
【译文】 
Far traveller in other place, also borrow this feeling that consigns the oneself to remember fondly to the home town and close relatives. 

【原文】 
所以，中秋又称“团圆节”。 
【译文】 
So, the Mid-Autumn call" reunited stanza" again. 

【原文】 
我国人民在古代就有“秋暮夕月”的习俗。 
【译文】 
The people of the our country have the custom of" autumn 暮夕 month" in ancient times. 

【原文】 
夕月，即祭拜月神。 
【译文】 
Month of 夕 , namely the fiesta does obeisance the absolute being of the month. 

【原文】 
到了周代，每逢中秋夜都要举行迎寒和祭月。 
【译文】 
Arrived a generation, every time round the Mid-Autumn nights all want to hold to face cold and fiesta month. 

【原文】 
设大香案，摆上月饼、西瓜、苹果、红枣、李子、葡萄等祭品，其中月饼和西瓜是绝对不能少的。 
【译文】 
Establish the big incense burner table, put a round flat cake, watermelon, apple, red date, plum, grape of last month etc. sacrificial offering, among them, the moon cake and watermelons absolutely can't be little. 

【原文】 
西瓜还要切成莲花状。 
【译文】 
The watermelon still needs to cut into the lotus form. 

【原文】 
在月下，将月亮神像放在月亮的那个方向，红烛高燃，全家人依次拜祭月亮，然后由当家主妇切开团圆月饼。 
【译文】 
Under the month, do obeisance that direction that the moon idol put in the moon, high 燃 of red candle, whole family person one by one in order the fiesta moon, then from take charge of the housewife to cut open the reunited moon cake. 

【原文】 
切月饼的人预先算好全家共有多少人，在家的，在外地的，都要算在一起，不能切多也不能切少，大小要一样。 
【译文】 
The person who slices the moon cake calculates the good whole family in advance to have totally how much person, at home of, in the other parts of country of, all want to calculate together, can't slice to have another also can't slice little, the size want to be similar. 

【原文】 
相传古代齐国丑女无盐，幼年时曾虔诚拜月，长大后，以超群品德入宫，但未被宠幸。 
【译文】 
It is rumored ancient times together the ugly woman of country has no salt, childhood hour once the godliness does obeisance the month, after grow up, with the preeminence moral qualities go into temple, but don't drive love. 

【原文】 
某年八月十五赏月，天子在月光下见到她，觉得她美丽出众，后立她为皇后，中秋拜月由此而来。 
【译文】 
Some year August 15 appreciate the month, the Emperor sees her under the moonlight, feeling that her beauty is outstanding, after sign her as empress, the Mid-Autumn does obeisance the month from here and since then. 

【原文】 
月中嫦娥，以美貌著称，故少女拜月，愿“貌似嫦娥，面如皓月”。 
【译文】 
Charng-er in month, call with the beautiful looks 著 , the past young girl does obeisance the month, wish" look like the Charng-er, face such as the bright moon". 

【原文】 
在唐代，中秋赏月、玩月颇为盛行。 
【译文】 
At the Tang Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn appreciates the month and plays the month very widely accepted. 

【原文】 
在北宋京师。 
【译文】 
In the north city teacher of Sung. 

【原文】 
八月十五夜，满城人家，不论贫富老小，都要穿上成人的衣服，焚香拜月说出心愿，祈求月亮神的保佑。 
【译文】 
15 nights of August, full city somebody else, in spite of the rich and poor the old and the young, all want to put on the person's clothes, the joss-stick of 焚 does obeisance the month to speak the wish, protect of the imprecation moon absolute being. 

【原文】 
南宋，民间以月饼相赠，取团圆之义。 
【译文】 
South Sung, folks with moon cake mutually 赠 , take the reunited righteousness. 

【原文】 
有些地方还有舞草龙，砌宝塔等活动。 
【译文】 
There is still the dance grass dragon in some places, the 砌 pagoda etc. activity. 

【原文】 
明清以来，中秋节的风俗更加盛行； 
【译文】 
Clear and pure, the customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival is more widely accepted; 

【原文】 
许多地方形成了烧斗香、树中秋、点塔灯、放天灯、走月亮、舞火龙等特殊风俗。 
【译文】 
Many places became to burn the 斗 joss-stick, tree Mid-Autumn, order the tower light, put the sky lantern and walk moon, dance the special customs of etc. of the fire dragon. 

【原文】 
今天，月下游玩的习俗，已远没有旧时盛行。 
【译文】 
Today, the custom that the downstream of month play, already far have no old hour widely accepted. 

【原文】 
但设宴赏月仍很盛行，人们把酒问月，庆贺美好的生活，或祝远方的亲人健康快乐，和家人“千里共婵娟”。 
【译文】 
But still hold the party to appreciate the month very widely accepted, the people ask the month to the wine, celebrate the fine life, or wish the healthy happiness of the close relatives of the far-away place, and the family's" a long distance total lovely". 

【原文】 
中秋节的习俗很多，形式也各不相同，但都寄托着人们对生活无限的热爱和对美好生活的向往。 
【译文】 
The custom of the Mid-Autumn Festival is a lot of, the form is also each not same, but all consign the people to the living infinite passion and to fine life of look forward to.