月饼的传说英语

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.

中秋

Mooncake（月饼）A mooncake is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival（中秋节）. The festival is for lunar appreciation and moon watching, when mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals.Typical mooncakes are round pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 3–4 cm thick. This is the Cantonese mooncake, eaten in Southern China in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau. A rich thick filling usually made from red bean or lotus seed paste is surrounded by a thin (2–3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by tea. Today, it is customary for businessmen and families to present them to their clients or relatives as presents, helping to fuel a demand for high-end mooncakes.Most mooncakes consist of a thin, tender pastry skin enveloping a sweet, dense filling, and may contain one or more whole salted egg yolks in their center as the symbol of the full moon. Very rarely, mooncakes are also served steamed or fried.Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for "longevity" or "harmony", as well as the name of the bakery and the filling inside. Imprints of the moon, Lady Chang'e（嫦娥） on the moon, flowers, vines, or a rabbit (symbol of the moon) may surround the characters for additional decoration.

The legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节的传说 Mooncakes are to Mid-Autumn Festival what mince pies are to Christmas.The seasonal round cakes traditionally have a sweet filling of lotus seed paste or red bean paste and often have one or more salted duck eggs in the center to represent the moon.And the moon is what this celebration is all about.Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th month,it is the time when the moon is said to be at its brightest and fullest.This year the festival falls on October 1.中秋节吃月饼就像西方人圣诞节吃百果馅饼一样,是必不可少的.圆圆的月饼中通常包有香甜的莲子馅或是红豆馅,馅的中央还会加上一个金黄的咸鸭蛋黄来代表月亮.而月亮正是中秋节庆祝的主题.每年农历8月15日人们一起庆祝中秋,据说这一天的月亮是一年中最亮最圆的.今年的中秋节恰好是阳历的10月1日（中国的国庆日）。There are two legends which claim to explain the tradition of eating mooncakes.关于吃月饼这个传统的来历有两个传说.One Tang Dynasty myth holds that the Earth once had 10 suns circling it.One day all 10 suns appeared at once,scorching the planet with their heat.It was thanks to a skillful archer named Hou Yi that the Earth was saved.He shot down all but one of the suns.As his reward,the Heavenly Queen Mother gave Hou Yi the Elixir of Immortality,but she warned him that he must use it wisely.Hou Yi ignored her advice and,corrupted by fame and fortune,became a tyrannical leader.Chang-Er,his beautiful wife,could no longer stand by and watch him abuse his power so she stole his Elixir and fled to the moon to escape his angry wrath.And thus began the legend of the beautiful woman in the moon,the Moon Fairy.一个是唐朝的神话故事,说的是当时地球被10个太阳包围着.有一天10个太阳同时出现在天空中,巨大的热量几乎把地球烤焦了.多亏一位名叫后羿的神箭手射下了9个太阳,地球才被保住.为了奖励后羿,王母娘娘赐给后羿一种长生不老药,但是王母警告他必须正当使用.然而后羿没有理会王母娘娘的警告,他被名利冲昏了头脑,变成了一个暴君.后羿美丽的妻子嫦娥对他的暴行再也不能袖手旁观,于是她偷走了后羿的长生不老药,飞到月亮上逃避后羿的狂怒.从此就有了关于月宫仙子嫦娥,这个月亮上的美丽女人的传说。The second legend has it that during the Yuan Dynasty,an underground group led by Zhu Yuan Zang was determined to rid the country of Mongolian dominance.The moon cake was created to carry a secret message.When the cake was opened and the message read,an uprising was unleashed which successfully routed the Mongolians.It happened at the time of the full moon,which,some say,explains why mooncakes are eaten at this time.第二个传说讲的是在元朝,朱元璋领导的起义军计划起义来摆脱蒙古族的统治.他们用月饼来传递密信.掰开月饼就可以找到里面的密信,起义军通过这种方式成功的发动了起义,赶走了元朝的统治者.这场起义发生在八月十五之时,于是中秋节吃月饼的习俗便在民间传开来。