中秋节吃南瓜的传统起源于江南穷苦人家吃南瓜的习俗。传说很久以前，有一名叫黄花的女孩，出生在一户穷苦人家，与年老多病、生活无法自理的父母同住。有一年八月十五，黄花带回家两只南瓜，煮给父母吃，两位老人吃了之后病体痊愈。从此，这个中秋吃南瓜的传统便代代相传，保佑人们健康平安。

The tradition of eating pumpkin during Mid-Autumn Festival started with poor people living south of the Yangtze River. Legend has it that a long time ago, a girl named Huang Hua who came from a poor family, lived with her gravely ill parents who were unable to feed and clothe themselves. On August 15 on the lunar calendar of one year, she took home two pumpkins and prepared them for her parents, whose health was fully restored after eating the pumpkin. The tradition has been handed down for generations and eating pumpkin on Mid-Autumn Festival night is believed to bring people good health.