庆祝中秋节的中国灯笼 Chinese lanterns for Mid-Autumn Festival celebration (© LeeYiuTung/Getty Images)

庆祝中秋节的中国灯笼 Chinese lanterns for Mid-Autumn Festival celebration (© LeeYiuTung/Getty Images)

当月亮也来赴会 When the moon joins the party

中秋节

如果满月是你家宴上的贵宾，会是什么情景？这正是中秋节的意蕴，中秋节也被称为月亮节。这个节日在农历八月十五庆祝，是中国文化中最重要的节日之一。它的源头可追溯至3,000多年前周朝时期的祭月仪式。最广为人知的传说讲述了嫦娥服下长生不老药后飞上月宫的故事。

月饼是这一节日最具代表性的美食。圆圆的外形象征着圆满与团聚。民间传说称，元朝时期，反抗者曾把推翻蒙古统治者的秘密消息藏在月饼里。

这个节日还催生了牵线结缘的习俗，因此被比作月亮版的情人节。尽管中秋月以明亮著称，科学却告诉我们，它不一定是一年中最亮的月亮。传说、灯笼和月饼汇聚于此，这个节日确实值得人们抬头仰望。

Mid-Autumn Festival

What if the full moon were the guest of honor at your family dinner? That is the idea behind the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival. Celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, it is one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture. Its roots trace back more than 3,000 years to moon-honoring rituals during the Zhou Dynasty. Its best-known legend tells of Chang'e, who drank an elixir of immortality and rose to the moon.

Mooncakes are the celebration's signature treat. Their round shape symbolizes completeness and reunion. Folklore claims that rebels once hid secret messages to overthrow the Mongol rulers inside mooncakes during the Yuan Dynasty.

The festival has also inspired matchmaking customs, earning comparisons to a lunar Valentine's Day. And while the Mid-Autumn moon is celebrated for its brightness, science says it is not necessarily the year's brightest. With legends, lanterns, and mooncakes, this festival has plenty to look up to.