今年的农历八月十五中秋节是10月3日。我儿子的高中的汉语班老师，前几天给汉语一年班学生的作业是研究中秋节的来历及有关中秋节的词汇。

我看了一下，内容不错，征得儿子同意，作为博文发表。

--姚鸿恩

中(zhōng)秋(qiū)节(jié)

姚译克

Legend/story- Long ago, a powerful draught attacked the earth. The cause of this havoc was the ruthlessness of the ten burning suns. As plants were ripped away of food and water, so were the human inhabitants of the forsaken land. Enough was enough, so the Emperor of Heaven sent a young man named Hou Yi down to the earth. When he arrived, he took out his red bow and white arrows, and then struck nine of the suns with the unforgiving force of the gods. The land returned to normal, and it rained like never before. Life was flourishing; trees rose from the now rich soil, and the earth was saved.

Because of his heroic accomplishment, Hou Yi was greatly recognized and soon became a king. He then met a young woman named Chang E, and soon married her. One day, Hou Yi wanted immortality and went to seek something that would help him achieve this dream. He soon found it, an elixir. It was in the form of a single pill. Chang E soon found out about this pill her husband was about to take. It is believed that she either purposely, or accidently swallowed the pill. Hou Yi found out and was infuriated by it and chased his wife. Scared for her life, she ran to a chamber at the top of the palace and jumped out the window. Instead of falling, she floated up towards the moon while her husband tried to kill her by shooting arrows. He failed, and she flew to the moon on the 15^th day of the 8^th month of the lunar calendar. Hou Yi eventually ascended to the sun and built a palace there. Change E and Hou Yi represent Yin and Yang, the moon and the sun.

Date- The date of the Mid-Autumn Festival is the 15^th day of the 8^th month of the lunar calendar. It is usually around the end of September to the beginning of October.

How to celebrate 中秋节- On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, people gather and eat moon cakes under the moon. There are several varieties of moon cakes. After they finish eating, people can go to watch special performances. Some of these performances include lantern shows. Others watch the flood tide of a river or the wave of a sea.

八(bā)个(gè)中(zhōng)秋(qiū)节(jié)的(de)词(cí)

嫦(cháng)娥(é)

a young women who meets the intrepid hero, Hou Yi.

后(hòu)羿(yì)

a legendary archer who shot down nine of the ten burning suns and became king.

月(yuè)饼(bǐng)

the traditional food eaten on the Mid-Autumn Festival. Some contain lotus, duck yolk, or pork. Some have Chinese characters inscribed on them, or are sprinkled with sesame seeds. A large variety of them contain sweet fillings such as lotus seed paste, Chinese dates, or mashed red beans.

月(yuè)

the moon of planet earth. From earth, people can only see one side of the moon, and the other side is always hidden from view.

日(rì)

the sun of the solar system.

中(zhōng)秋(qiū)节(jié)

the Mid-Autumn Festival of China. It is commonly celebrated by eating moon cakes.

 阴(yīn)历(lì)八(bā)月(yuè)十(shí)五(wǔ)日(rì)

the 15^th day of the 8^th month of the lunar calendar. According to legends, Chang E floated to the moon on that day. Chinese people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on that day.

灯(dēng)笼(long)

certain people celebrate the festival by carrying around brightly lit lanterns.