中秋节是中国传统节日之一，为每年的农历八月十五，此时正值秋季过半，故名中秋。中秋节的晚上，人们举家欢聚，点花灯、品月饼、赏明月，中秋夜的月亮是一年中最圆、最亮的，亦称满月，象征着家人的团聚，因此中秋节也被人们视为团圆的节日。

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivities in China, According to Chinese lunar calendar, the 15th day of the 8th month is the exact midst of autumn, so it's called the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is an evening celebration when families gather together to light lanterns, eat moon cakes and appreciate the round moon. On that night, the moon appears to be at its roundest and brightest. The full moon is a symbol for family reunion, which is why that day is also known as the Festival of Reunion.

中秋节的历史可以追溯到2000多年前，在古老的封建时代，中国帝王要向上天祈求一年风调雨顺、国泰民安，他们在每年农历二月十五的早晨，及八月十五的晚上进行祈福活动。历代帝王每年都会前往位于北京西城的月坛公园祭奉月亮。

The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations date back to more than 2,000 years ago. In feudal times, Chinese emperors prayed to Heaven for a prosperous year. They chose the morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month to worship the sun and the night of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to hold a ceremony in praise of the moon. In the western district of Beijing is the Yuetan Park, which originally was the Temple of Moon, and every year the emperor would go there to offer a sacrifice to the moon.

唐朝时期（618-907年），在中秋节祭奉月亮已经于百姓间十分流行。到了南宋时期（1127-1279年），人们开始互赠月饼来表达对家人、好友的美好祝愿，到了晚上，他们会聚在一起赏月，或泛舟河边，共度节日良宵。

This ancient custom became prevalent in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that people enjoyed and worshipped the full moon. In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), however, people sent round moon cakes to their relatives as gifts in expression of their best wishes of family reunion. When it turned dark, they gazed up at the full silver moon or went sightseeing by lakes, to celebrate the festival.

到了明代（1368-1644年）、清代（1644-1911年），中秋节更是有了空前的发展，在各地出现了诸多不同的节日习俗，如烧香、树中秋、点花灯、舞火龙等。人们在月下饮酒欢庆，或思念远方的家人、挚友，并向月亮许平安。

Since the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911), the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration has become unprecedentedly popular. Together with the celebration appeared some special customs in different parts of the country, such as burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lanterns on towers and fire dragon dances, etc. Whenever the festival sets in, people would look up at the full silver moon, drinking wine to celebrate their happy life, or thinking of their relatives and friends far from home and extending all of their best wishes to them.

中秋时节，农民们刚刚收获了庄稼、果实，辛劳一年后的丰收让他们倍感喜悦，因此这些普通老百姓也特别喜欢中秋。

In mid-autumn, farmers have just finished gathering their crops and bringing in fruits from the orchards. They are overwhelmed with joy when they have a bumper harvest and at the same time, they feel quite relaxed after a year of hard work. So the 15th day of the eighth lunar month (the Mid-Autumn Festival) has gradually evolved as a widely celebrated festival for ordinary people.

当夜幕降临，大地沐浴在皎洁月光下，每家每户都在庭院里围桌而坐，孩子们则在院子里嬉戏，一家人共享节日的美好时光。

Night falls. The land is bathed in silver moonlight. Families set up tables in their courtyards or sit together on their balconies, chatting and sharing offerings to the moon. Together, they enjoy the enchanting spell of night. Naturally, they are reminded of beautiful legends about the moon.