In Chinese minds, the moon is associated with gentleness and brightness, expressing the beautiful yearnings of the Chinese. On the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, the moon is full and it is time to mark the Moon Festival, or the Mid-Autumn Festival. The round shape symbolizes family reunion. Therefore the day is a holiday for family members to get together and enjoy the full moon - an auspicious token of abundance, harmony, and luck.

在中國人心里，月亮總是與“溫柔”“明亮”這些詞聯系在一起的，這樣的聯想表達了中國人美好的祈望。中國人在農歷八月十五日過中秋節，這是一個家人團聚賞月的節日，因為圓圓的月亮象征著闔家團圓。“滿月”在中國文化中是一個象征豐饒、和諧和幸運的吉祥符號。

The Customs of sacrificing the Moon

中秋祭月的習俗

From the royalty to the populace, it is an important custom to sacrifice to and appreciate the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

從王公貴族到平民百姓，中秋祭月和賞月都是非常重要的習俗。

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, sons and daughters come back to their parents’ house. Sometimes people who have settled overseas will return to visit their parents. Adults will usually indulge in fragrant moon cakes of different varieties with a good cup of piping hot Chinese tea, while the little ones run around with brightly-lit lanterns. After nightfall, entire families go out under the stars for a walk or picnics, looking up at the full silver moon, thinking of their nearby relatives or friends, as well as those who are far from home. A line from a verse “The moon at the home village is exceptionally brighter” expresses those feelings. It can also be a romantic night for lovers, who sit holding hands on riverbanks and park benches, enraptured by the brightest moon of the year.

在中秋節期間，漂泊在外的兒女將會回到父母家中，有時即使是已經定居異國他鄉的人們也會回來。大人們通常會就著熱茶享受各種口味的月餅，孩子們則提著燈籠跑來跑去。夜幕降臨之后，全家人都會走出屋子，一邊在星光下散步或是野餐，一邊抬頭觀賞銀色的滿月，思念著親朋好友，還有離家未歸的人。中國的一句古詩“月是故鄉明”就表達了這種對家鄉和親人的思念之情。對情侶來說這也是個浪漫的夜晚。戀人們坐在河堤或公園長椅上，手牽著手，陶醉在一年中最明亮的月光里。

To celebrate this sighting of the moon, red plastic lanterns wrought in traditional styles and embellished with traditional motifs are prepared for the occasion. The lanterns are made in traditional shapes such as rabbits, goldfish, carps, butterflies and lobsters.

為了慶祝這個節日，人們會掛起按照傳統式樣制作和裝飾的燈籠。燈籠的形狀通常有兔子，金魚，鯉魚，蝴蝶，龍蝦等等。

There is a saying in Chinese that marriages are made in heaven and prepared on the moon. The man who does the preparing is the old man of the moon (Yue Lao). He is the one heavenly person who knows everyone's future partners, and nobody can fight the decisions written down in his book. He is one reason why the moon is so important in Chinese mythology and especially at the time of the Moon Festival. Everybody, including children, hikes up high mountains or hills or onto open beaches to view the moon in the hope that he will grant their wishes.

在中國有一種說法，叫做 “姻緣天注定”。為人們定下姻緣的就是傳說中的“月下老人”。月老是知曉人間每個人未來伴侶的神仙，沒有人能違抗在他的“姻緣簿”中定下的緣分。月老也是月亮在中國神話中——尤其是中秋節時——如此重要的原因之一。中秋節時，每個人，包括小孩子，都會到山頂或河灘去向月亮許愿，希望能有一份美滿的姻緣。

Contrary to what most people believe, this festival probably has less to do with harvest festivities than with the philosophically minded Chinese of old. The union of man's spirit with nature in order to achieve perfect harmony was the fundamental canon of Taoism, so much so that contemplation of nature was a way of life.

與許多人的認知相反，中秋節也許跟慶祝豐收沒什么關系，而是更多地跟古代中國人的哲學觀念聯系在一起。道家的基本思想就是通過人與自然精神上的合一來達到圓滿和諧，因此對自然的冥想已經成為了人們的一種生活方式。