中国传统节日中英对照:中秋节
每年农历八月十五日,是传统的中秋佳节。这时是一年秋季的中期,所以被称为中秋。
中秋节有悠久的历史,和其它传统节日一样,也是慢慢发展形成的,古代帝王有春天祭日,秋天祭月的礼制,早在《周礼》一书中,已有“中秋”一词的记载。后来贵族和文人学士也仿效起来,在中秋时节,对着天上又亮又圆一轮皓月,观赏祭拜,寄托情怀,这种习俗就这样传到民间,形成一个传统的活动,一直到了唐代,这种祭月的风俗更为人们重视,中秋节才成为固定的节日,《唐书·太宗记》记载有“八月十五中秋节”,这个节日盛行于宋朝,至明清时,已与元旦齐名,成为我国的主要节日之一。
相传,远古时候天上有十日同时出现,晒得庄稼枯死,民不聊生,一个名叫后羿的英雄,力大无穷,他同情受苦的百姓,登上昆仑山顶,运足神力,拉开神弓,一气射下九个多太阳,并严令最后一个太阳按时起落,为民造福。后羿因此受到百姓的尊敬和爱戴,不少志士慕名前来投师学艺,心术不正的蓬蒙也混了进来。
后羿有一个美丽的妻子叫“嫦娥”。一天,后羿到昆仑山访友求道,巧遇由此经过的王母娘娘,便向王母求得一包不死药。据说,服下此药,能即刻升天成仙。然而,后羿舍不得撇下妻子,只好暂时把不死药交给嫦娥珍藏。嫦娥将药藏进梳妆台的百宝匣里,不料被小人蓬蒙看见了。
一天,率众徒外出狩猎,蓬蒙手持宝剑闯入内宅后院,威逼嫦娥交出不死药。嫦娥知道自己不是蓬蒙的对手,危急之时她当机立断,转身打开百宝匣,拿出不死药一口吞了下去。嫦娥吞下药,身子立时飘离地面、冲出窗口,向天上飞去。蓬蒙便借机逃走了。
傍晚,后羿回到家,侍女们哭诉了白天发生的事。后羿气得捶胸顿足,悲痛欲绝,仰望着夜空呼唤爱妻的名字,这时他惊奇地发现,今天的月亮格外皎洁明亮,而且有个晃动的身影酷似嫦娥。他拼命朝月亮追去,可是他追三步,月亮退三步,他退三步,月亮进三步,无论怎样也追不到跟前。
后羿无可奈何,又思念妻子,只好派人到嫦娥喜爱的后花园里,摆上香案,放上她平时最爱吃的蜜食鲜果,遥祭在月宫里眷恋着自己的嫦娥。百姓们闻知嫦娥奔月成仙的消息后,纷纷在月下摆设香案,向善良的嫦娥祈求吉祥平安。
中秋节的习俗很多,形式也各不相同,但都寄托着人们对生活无限的热爱和对美好生活的向往。
在今天,中秋节的时候,人们都会吃月饼。月下游玩的习俗,已远没有旧时盛行。但设宴赏月仍很盛行,人们把酒问月,庆贺美好的生活,或祝远方的亲人健康快乐,和家人“千里共婵娟”。
Mid-Autumn Festiv al
The Mid-Autumn Festiv al f alls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, usually in October in Gregorian calendar.
The f estiv al has a long history. In ancient China, emperors followed the rite of offering sacrif ices to the sun in spring and to the moon in autumn. Historical books of the Zhou Dy nasty had had the word "Mid-Autumn". Later aristocrats and literary f igures helped expand the ceremony to common people. They enjoy ed the f ull, bright moon on that day, worshipped it and expressed their thoughts and f ee lings under it. By the Tang Dy nasty (618-907), the Mid-Autumn Festiv al had been f ixed, which became ev en grander in the Song Dy nasty (960-1279). In the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dy nasties, it grew to be a major f estiv al of China.
Folklore about the origin of the f estiv al go like this: In remote antiquity, there were ten suns rising in the sky, which scorched all crops and drov e people into dire pov erty. A hero named Hou Yi was much worried about this, he ascended to the top of the Kunlun Mountain and, directing his superhuman strength to f ull extent, drew his extraordinary bow and shot down the nine superf luous suns one af ter another. He also ordered the last sun to rise and set according to tim e. For this reason, he was respected and lov ed by the people and lots of people of ideals and integrity came to him to learn martial arts f rom him. A person named Peng Meng lurked in them.
Hou Yi had a beautif ul and kindhearted wif e named Chang E. One day on his way to the Kunlun Mountain to call on f riends, he r an upon the Empress of Heav en Wangmu who was passing by. Empress Wangmu presented to him a parcel of elixir, by taking which, it was said, one would ascend immediately to heav en and become a celestial being. Hou Yi, howev er, hated to part with his wif e. So he gav e the elixir to Chang E to treasure f or the time being. Chang E hid the parcel in a treasure box at her dressing table when, unexpectedly, it was seen by Peng Meng.
One day when Hou Yi led his disciples to go hunting, Peng Meng, sword in hand, rushed into the inner chamber and f orced Chang E to hand ov er the elixir. Aware that she was unable to def eat Peng Meng, Chang E made a prompt decision at that critical moment. She turned round to open her treasure box, took up the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp. As soon as she swallowed the elixir her body
f loated off the ground, dashed out of the window and f lew towards heav en. Pen
g Meng escaped.
When Hou Yi returned home at dark, he knew f rom the maidserv ants what had happened. Ov ercome with grief, Hou Yi looked up int o the night sky and called out the name of his belov ed wif e when, to his surprise, he found that the moon was especially clear and bight
and on it there was a sway ing shadow that was exactly like his wif e. He tried his best to chase af ter the moon. But as he ran, the moon retreated; as he withdrew, the moon came back. He could not get to the moon at all.
Thinking of his wif e day and night, Hou Yi then had an incense table arranged in the back garden that Chang E lov ed. Putting on the table sweetmeats and f resh fruits Chang E enjoy ed most, Hou Yi held at a distance a mem orial ceremony f or Chang E who was sentimentally attached to him in the palace of the moon.
When people heard of the story that Chang E had turned into a celestial being, they arranged the incense table in the moonlight one after another and pray ed kindhearted Chang E f or good f ortune and peace. From then on the custom of worshiping the moon spread among the people.
People in diff erent places f ollow v arious customs, but all show their lov e and longing f or a better lif e. Today people will enjoy the f ull moon and eat moon cakes on that day.
The moon looks extremely round, big and bright on the 15th day of each lunar month. People selected the August 15 to celebrate because it is a season when crops and f ruits are all ripe and weather pleasant. On the Mid-Autumn Festiv al, all f amily members or
f riends meet outside, puttin
g f ood on tables and looking up at the sky while talking about lif e. How splendid a moment it is!
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