It's time to hang a lantern, share a mooncake and peel a pomelo – Mid-Autumn Festival is here.是时候挂起灯笼，分享月饼，剥开柚子了——中秋节已经到来。 Falling on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, it's celebrated primarily in East and Southeast Asia and is a time for families to gather to sample autumn harvests, light lanterns and admire what's believed to be the fullest moon of the year.中秋节在农历八月十五日，主要在东亚和东南亚地区庆祝，是家人团聚、品尝秋收、点亮灯笼、共赏一年中最为圆满的月亮的美好时刻。 In 2024, the Mid-Autumn Festival, or the Moon Festival, falls on September 17. Here's a bit of background and a few tips on how to join this massive full moon party.2024年的中秋节，又称祭月节，将于9月17日到来。以下是一些关于这个节日的背景知识，以及一些如何欢度这场盛大满月派对的建议。 What is the Mid-Autumn Festival?什么是中秋节？ Mid-Autumn Festival became an official celebration in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) but there isn't one single answer to the question of when and how the annual event began.中秋节在唐朝时期（公元618-907年）正式成为中国的一个节日，但关于这个节日的起源时间和方式，至今仍没有一个确切的答案。 Many believe the fete was first mentioned in the "Book of Rites," a Confucius classic on bureaucracy and rituals written more than 2,400 years ago.许多人认为，这个节日最早在《礼记》中有所提及。《礼记》是孔子关于礼仪制度的经典著作，成书于2400多年前。 It was described as a day for emperors to celebrate the year's harvest by giving offerings to the moon and hosting a great feast.书中将这个节日描述为皇帝为庆祝一年的丰收而向月亮献礼，并举办盛宴的日子。 Today, the Mid-Autumn Festival is an incredibly important family gathering – it's when "people and the moon reunite to form a full circle," as an old saying goes.如今，中秋节已成为一个极其重要的家庭团聚时刻。正如一句老话所说，这是一个“月圆人团圆”的日子。 Chang'e: The moon festival goddess嫦娥：月节女神 Like many cultural celebrations, the Mid-Autumn Festival is shrouded in myth. One of the most beloved – and tragic – pieces of folklore tells the story of how a woman named Chang'e became the moon goddess.和许多文化庆典一样，中秋节也充满了神秘色彩。其中，最受欢迎也最凄美的神话故事之一，便是关于嫦娥如何成为月宫女神的传说。 According to the legend, after mythological Chinese archer Hou Yi courageously shot down nine surplus suns – leaving only one, in effect protecting the world from being scorched completely – he was given an elixir from heaven as a reward.据传说，神话中的中国射手后羿勇敢地射下了九个多余的太阳，只留下一个，从而保护了世界免受完全烤焦的威胁。作为奖赏，他得到了来自天堂的仙丹。 Hou Yi's wife Chang'e drank the elixir while protecting it from a greedy apprentice, but became so light that she floated to the moon.后羿的妻子嫦娥，在试图保护仙丹不被贪婪的徒弟窃取时，不慎将其吞下，身体因此变得轻盈无比，最终飘向了月宫。 Missing his wife, Hou Yi prepared a feast every year on the day when the moon was at its fullest, hoping to get a glimpse of his wife's shadow.后羿深深思念着妻子，于是每年在月亮最圆之夜举办盛宴，希望能看到妻子的身影。 Just how well known is this story? China's Chang'e lunar modules, part of the country's ambitious space program, were named in honor of the moon goddess. Meanwhile, Yutu (Jade Rabbit) – China's moon rover – was named after the legendary rabbit that was sent to accompany Chang'e to the moon.这个故事到底有多出名？中国的嫦娥月球探测项目，作为国家航天计划的一部分，正是以这位月宫女神的名字命名的。同时，中国的月球车也被命名为“玉兔”，以纪念传说中陪伴嫦娥奔月的玉兔。 Mid-Autumn Festival customs and traditions中秋节的习俗与传统 When it comes to celebrating the festival, customs vary throughout Asia.在庆祝中秋节时，亚洲各地的习俗各具特色。 The Mid-Autumn Festival is considered "children's day" in Vietnam and celebrations include paper lantern fairs and lion dance parades. Meanwhile, in southern China, most people will light a lantern and eat autumn fruits such as pomelo and starfruit.在越南，中秋节被视为“儿童节”，人们会举办纸灯笼市集，进行舞狮游行，庆祝这一节日。而在中国南方，人们则习惯点亮灯笼，品尝秋季的时令水果，如柚子和杨桃，享受团圆的喜悦。 Some villages in Hong Kong still preserve the tradition of fire dragon dancing through a narrow alley.香港的一些村庄仍然保留着在狭窄小巷中舞火龙的传统。 In South Korea, the mid-Autumn Festival (or Chuseok) is one of the nation's most important holidays. Celebrated over three days, South Koreans will sweep ancestors' tombs, wear traditional attire and eat songpyeon, crescent-shaped steamed rice cakes with sweet fillings.在韩国，中秋节（又称秋夕）是举国同庆的重要节日。人们会在这三天里扫墓祭祖，穿上传统服饰，品尝美味的松饼（一种半月形的甜馅蒸米糕），共同庆祝这个充满温情与感恩的时刻。 Japanese people, meanwhile, will eat grilled sticky rice balls called tsukimi dango ("moon viewing") while admiring the astronomical body.与此同时，在日本，人们会边赏月边吃烤糯米球，即“月见团子”。 Celebrations can also be found in Asian communities all over the world, from New York City to Vancouver.而在世界各地的亚洲社区，从纽约到温哥华，中秋节的庆祝活动同样热闹非凡。 All about mooncakes月饼的奥秘 One of the biggest stars of the Mid-Autumn Festival is the mooncake – it's as important to festivities as turkey is to Thanksgiving and latkes are to Hanukkah. In most places in China, the calorie-packed pastry is sliced up and shared like a cake between families and friends.月饼无疑是中秋节的焦点，其地位堪比感恩节的火鸡和光明节的炸面饼。在中国，这款高热量的糕点常被切成块，如同蛋糕一般，在家人和朋友间分享。 The most well-known kind of mooncake is made of lotus seed paste, salted egg yolk and lard – Cantonese style – which explains why a palm-sized cake can contain about 1,000 calories.最知名的月饼是广式月饼，由莲蓉、咸蛋黄和猪油制成，也因此，一块小小的月饼便蕴含着约1000卡路里的热量。 Nuts, red beans and custards are some other popular ingredients.此外，坚果、红豆和蛋奶冻也是月饼中常见的馅料。 In recent years, big brands and even public institutions have taken to creating specially designed mooncakes. China's Shanghai Mental Health Center, for example, shared photos of their mooncakes in 2023 and went viral on social media in China.近年来，知名品牌乃至公共机构纷纷推出特别定制的月饼款式。例如，中国的上海市精神卫生中心在2023年推出的月饼就引起了广泛关注，在中国社交媒体上迅速走红。 Bakery brands have also come up with modern variations – ice cream coated in chocolate, for example – that offer an alternative to those who aren't fond of traditional mooncakes.与此同时，烘焙品牌也紧跟潮流，推出了各种现代风味的月饼变体，如巧克力包裹的冰淇淋月饼，为那些对传统月饼不感冒的消费者提供了新选择。 Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump on Sunday leveled an attack against Taylor Swift, declaring his "hate" for her just days after the pop mega-star endorsed his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris.美国共和党总统候选人唐纳德·特朗普周日对泰勒·斯威夫特发起攻击，就在这位流行音乐巨星支持他的民主党对手卡玛拉·哈里斯几天后，他宣称自己“讨厌”她。 In an all-caps posting on his Truth Social media account, Trump wrote, "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!"特朗普在他的“真实社交”（Truth Social）媒体账户上发布了一条全大写字母的帖子，写道：“我讨厌泰勒·斯威夫特！” Immediately following last week's Trump-Harris debate, Swift informed her 284 million Instagram followers that she planned to vote for Harris, currently the U.S. vice president, "because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them."就在上周特朗普与哈里斯的辩论之后，斯威夫特告知她2.84亿Instagram关注者，她计划投票给目前担任美国副总统的哈里斯，“因为她为我认为需要勇士捍卫的权利和事业而战。” Trump, who has 7.71 million followers on Truth Social, initially had dismissed Swift's endorsement of Harris by saying he was "not a Taylor fan." But since then, with public opinion polls showing Harris gaining significant ground on Trump in what is expected to be a close Nov. 5 presidential election, the former president has ratcheted up his rhetoric against one of the most successful recording artists in history.特朗普在“真实社交”上有771万关注者，他最初对斯威夫特支持哈里斯的表态不屑一顾，称自己“不是泰勒的粉丝”。但自那以后，随着民意调查显示哈里斯在11月5日预计将举行的总统大选中对特朗普的领先优势不断扩大，这位前总统便加大了对这位史上最成功的唱片艺术家之一的攻击力度。 Swift's backing of Harris has drawn over 9 million "likes" to her Instagram post, fueling speculation that it could boost the Democrat's chances of winning the presidential election.斯威夫特对哈里斯的支持在她的 Instagram 帖子上获得了超过900万个“赞”，这引发了人们的猜测，认为这可能会提高民主党人赢得总统大选的机会。 After the Trump post, Harris' vice presidential running mate Tim Walz wrote on X: "Swifties: With your help we're gonna defeat the smallest man who ever lived."特朗普的帖子发布后，哈里斯的副总统竞选搭档蒂姆·沃尔兹在X平台上写道：“泰勒·斯威夫特的粉丝：有了你们的帮助，我们将击败史上最小气的人。” One of Swift's songs is titled "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived."斯威夫特的一首歌名为《史上最小气的人》。 Trump's rage against Swift brought a torrent of supporters to proclaim on X, "I LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT," while others came to Trump's defense by attacking the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump and Swift have been trading barbs for years. After she supported Democratic candidates in the 2018 elections, Trump said in response to reporters' questions at the White House: "Let's say that I like Taylor's music about 25% less now."特朗普对斯威夫特的愤怒引发了X平台上大量支持者宣称“我爱泰勒·斯威夫特”，而另一些人则通过攻击民主党总统乔·拜登的政府来为特朗普辩护。特朗普和斯威夫特多年来一直互相挖苦。在2018年选举中支持民主党候选人后，特朗普在白宫回答记者提问时表示：“这么说吧，我现在对泰勒的音乐喜欢程度降低了大约25%。” 素材来源：iYuba 长按上方二维码，下载英语日报APP