中秋节是每年农历八月十五日。据说，这一天的月亮是一年中最圆的。而月亮正是庆贺中秋的全部主题。
Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. It is the time when the moon is said to be at its brightest and fullest. The moon is what this celebration is all about.
为了庆祝中秋节，中国人通常做两件事：一是观赏满月。二是品尝美味的月饼。中秋吃月饼就好比圣诞节吃馅饼，月饼象征着全家人的大团圆。
To celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese people usually do two things: enjoy the full moon and eat delicious moon cakes. Moon cakes are to Mid-Autumn Festival what mince pies are to Christmas. In the eyes of the Chinese people, a moon cake symbolizes the reunion of all family members.
月宫传说
Folk Tales
月亮仙子——嫦娥
The Moon Fairy Lady - 'Chang Er'
实际上，古代很多关于八月月圆的故事都跟一位月亮仙子有关。在阴历8月15的晚上，小孩子都能看到月亮上有一位女子。
In fact, many ancient August Moon folktales are about a moon maiden. On the 15th night of the 8th lunar month, little children on earth can see a lady on the moon.
这个故事发生在公元前2170年左右，那个时候，天上有十个太阳，它们轮流照亮地上。但有一天，十个太阳一同出现，他们发出的热量烧焦了地上的作物。一位身强体壮、性格暴虐名叫后羿的弓箭手拯救了人间。他成功接连射落九个太阳。有一天，后羿偷了一位神仙的长生不老药。而他美丽的妻子嫦娥为了帮助人们脱离他暴虐的统治偷偷喝下了长生不老药。喝下药之后她发现自己飘浮起来并飞向了月亮。后裔十分爱他美若天仙的妻子，不忍心将她从月亮上射落。
The story about the lady took place around 2170 B.C. At that time, the earth had ten suns circling it, each taking its turn to illuminate the earth. But one day all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved by a strong and tyrannical archer named Hou Yi. He succeeded in shooting down nine of the suns. One day, Hou Yi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However, his beautiful wife Chang E drank the elixir of life in order to save the people from her husband's tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating and flew to the moon. Hou Yi loved his divinely beautiful wife so much, so he refused to shoot down the moon.
人们认为嫦娥是住在月亮上的仙子，所以月亮才会发光。女孩子如果想要变得漂亮并且有一位如意郎君都要供奉月亮。而中秋之时，孩子们都会向月亮仙子许愿祈求他们能够梦想成真。
People believed that the lady was a god who lived in the moon that made the moon shine. Girls who wanted to be a beauty and have a handsome husband should worship the moon. And on this magical occasion, children who make wishes to the Lady on the Moon will find their dreams come true.
伐木人——吴刚
The wood cutter - Wu Gang
吴刚是个懒惰而又不学无数的学徒。有一天他想学道成仙，于是他住到深山里强求一位仙人教他法术。起初，仙人教他治病的草药，但三天之后吴刚不安定的本性就暴露出来了。他又求仙人教他其他的东西，于是仙人教他下棋，但不久之后吴刚又失去了兴趣。于是仙人给了他研习仙术的书籍。当然没几天吴刚又觉得无聊了，并问仙人能否远行到一些新鲜有趣的地方。气恼于吴刚毫无耐心的本性，仙人罚他去月宫，并告诉他除非他能砍倒一棵巨大的桂树，否则他就不能回到人间。虽然吴刚日夜砍伐，但这棵神奇的树每次被砍倒创伤又会自己愈合，于是吴刚只有夜以继日地砍伐。
Wu Gang was a shiftless fellow who changed apprenticeships all the time. One day he decided that he wanted to be an immortal, so he went to live in the mountains where he importuned an immortal to teach him. First the immortal taught him about the herbs used to cure sickness, but after three days his characteristic restlessness returned and Wu Gang asked the immortal to teach him something else. So the immortal taught him chess, but after a short while Wu Gang's enthusiasm again waned. Then Wu Gang was given the books of immortality to study. Of course, Wu Gang became bored within a few days, and asked if they could travel to some new and exciting place. Angered with Wu Gang's impatience, the master banished Wu Gang to the Moon Palace telling him that he must cut down a huge cassia tree before he could return to earth. Though Wu Gang chopped day and night, the magical tree restored itself with each blow, and thus he is up there chopping still.
野兔——玉兔
The Hare - Jade Rabbit
传说中，三位仙人将自己变成可怜的老人向一只狐狸、猴子和兔子乞讨吃的，狐狸和猴子都将自己的食物分给了仙人，只有兔子自己跳入了火坑而将自己的肉献出来，仙人们被兔子的牺牲所感动，于是将兔子留在了月宫，这只兔子后来变成了玉兔。
In this legend, three fairy sages transformed themselves into pitiful old men and begged for something to eat from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and the monkey both had food to give the old men, but the rabbit, empty-handed, offered his own flesh instead by jumping into a blazing fire to cook himself. The sages were so touched by the rabbit's sacrifice that they let him live in the Moon Palace where he became the Jade Rabbit.
国际文化交流学院为留学生们准备了美味的月饼，同学们可以免费领取（一人一盒）
With the approaching of the Mid-Autumn Festival, ICES has prepared mookcakes for each international student for free.
月饼领取
时间/When：9月25日/25th September
地点/Where：迎新晚会现场/Welcome Party；留学生二号、三号公寓/2nd & 3rd International Student Apartment