花好月圆，话中秋

一年一度秋风尽，又到团圆佳节时。中秋节(Mid-Autumn Festival)被喻为最富诗情画意的节日，其背后有着许许多多动人的传说。每逢此刻，五湖四海，相聚一堂；花好月圆，把酒言欢。时临中秋，让我们在这里品上一盏回味悠长的文化民俗清茶。

 

There are many legends linked to Zhongqiujie or Mid-autumn Festival, but the most commonly quoted are about secrets messages that galvanized a change of government, and a romantic, if convoluted, story of the archer Hou Yi and his wife Chang’e, the lady in the moon.

关于中秋节的由来，存在着许多传说，其中流传最广的，一段是朱元璋通过“月饼”来秘密传递信息，最终得以起义成功，改朝换代的故事；另外一段浪漫一点的，也要复杂一点，就是射手后羿与他那生活在月亮上的妻子嫦娥的故事。

 

The first legend has it that during the Yuan Dynasty, an underground group led by ZhuYuan 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 moon-cakes are eaten at this time.

第一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。

 

A much earlier myth associated with the festival is the rather melancholic romance between the archer Hou Yi and his wife, Chang’e. There many versions but here are the most common threads.

关于中秋节，还有另一个更为远久的传说，那就是是发生在射手后羿和妻子嫦娥之间的凄美爱情故事。这个传说有许多版本，但我们这里提到的是其中最流传最广的一些。

 

 

 

In those times when gods and men had a less remote relationship, 10 blazing suns shone relentlessly, scorching the earth. Hou Yi was a fine marksman, so he took his bow and arrows and shot down nine, wisely leaving one to bless the day.

在那个人神尚可相通的时代，10个炙热的太阳无情地灼烧着大地，后羿是一位神箭手，于是他用弓箭射下了9个太阳，明智地留下一个，让它在白天为人类造福。

 

For his great common sense, he was rewarded with an elixir for immortality enough for him and his wife, whom he loved dearly. He kept the elixir in a box while he went hunting and told his wife not to open it. That was the last thing he should have said.

由于他的英明神武，后羿得到了长生不老的丹药，这些丹药足够他和他深爱的妻子嫦娥两个人服用。当他外出狩猎的时候，他把仙丹放在一个盒子里并且叮嘱嫦娥不要打开它。这也是他最不应该说的话。

 

Just like Pandora, Chang’e was into the box as soon as hubby was out of the door. Unfortunately, he came back unexpectedly and surprised her holding the elixir. In her panic, Chang’e drank it all up.

就像潘多拉一样，丈夫刚离开，嫦娥就迫不及待地打开了盒子。不巧也是，后裔突然返回家中，意外撞见妻子手拿仙丹的情景。嫦娥慌乱中服下了所有的仙丹。

 

The potion was so strong she started floating and didn't stop till she reached the moon. And there she has remained since, looking down in eternal regret, accompanied only by a little rabbit she managed to grab on the way up.

丹药的药性如此强烈，她开始飘离地面，最后飞落在月亮上面。嫦娥俯瞰人间，心中懊悔不已，自此她就留在了那里，只有一只飞天时捉到的小兔子陪伴她。

 

Both stories are often retold as people gather under the autumn moon, feasting on moon cakes and sipping fine tea. This is an occasion for the family to get together, second only to the Lunar New Year reunion dinner that every Chinese rushes home for.

每当中秋之夜，人们相聚一堂，共食月饼、品茶啜茗之时，这两个故事还是会被一再讲起。这是一个举家团圆时刻，若要再次团聚，只有等到农历春节，大家奔波返家吃年夜饭的时候了。

 

 

 

Moon-cakes are usually stamped with Chinese characters indicating the name of the bakery and the type of filling used. Some bakeries will even stamp them with your family name so that you can give personalized ones to friends and family. They are usually presented in boxes of four which indicate the four phases of the moon. Traditional moon-cakes are made with melted lard, but today vegetable oil is more often used in the interests of health.

通常月饼上都印有汉字，标明月饼的制造商和月饼的馅的种类。有些制造商还会在月饼上刻上顾客的姓，这样赠送给亲朋好友的月饼就更有人情味了。月饼通常是每盒里装四块，代表月亮的四个变化阶段。传统的月饼制作使用的是猪油，但是现在为了身体健康，已经改为使用植物油了。

 

Moon-cakes are not for the diet-conscious as they are loaded with calories. The best way to wash down one of these sticky cakes is with a cup of Chinese tea, especially Jasmine or Chrysanthemum tea, which aids the digestion.

由于月饼所含的热量较大，因此减肥人士不宜多吃。吃这种甜腻的食物最好是就着一杯中国茶，特别是茉莉花茶或是菊花茶，这样可以有助于消化。