致妙清：中秋节第三天感悟

       又是一个中秋节，令人盼望的中秋节。今年的中秋和平时有什么不一样吗？今年的中秋在22日。在这一天，人们通常都要回到自己家，和家里人一起吃团圆饭。现在，人们餐桌上摆放的食物真是多种多样，似乎和中秋节已经搭不上边了，但我们只要细心点，就会发现一些传统的中秋美食还是会出现在不少餐桌上，大家还是会举家在窗前赏月——至少人们还没有忘记中秋节和它的习俗。这，是不变。  

        那么中秋节的来历呢？有没有人确切地知道中秋节的来历呢？也许大家会零零碎碎地说出一些，也只是大概，似乎只有爷爷奶奶、爸爸、妈妈这一辈知道了，我们还真不一定完全了解，这，是变。还有就是中秋的气氛，虽然人们都吃月饼、赏月，好不热闹，但总觉得这热闹中似乎少了点什么，一时间又说不上来，这，也是变。 

        中秋节最重要的莫过于吃月饼了，这点大家都知道。那月饼都中秋节感想钬斺敱溆氩槐有些什么馅呢？豆沙，椰蓉，你一定会笑着说：“过时了！”现在我们吃的大多是冰激凌、抹茶、榛果、巧克力等一些稀奇古怪的口味，甚至鲍鱼、海参的也不足为奇。走进商场的月饼区，我们会发现这些口味的月饼独占最显眼的地方，而那些最为传统的只能可怜巴巴地躺在一旁，一点也不显眼，如果不仔细找，甚至还发现不了它呢！俗话说：人靠衣装马靠鞍，这月饼的包装就更为奢侈了！外盒就象镀了层金一样闪闪发亮，拆到里面，一个小月饼用一个小铁盒装着，底下还有“红袍”衬着——有必要这样“大费包装”吗？我估计一个包装都比一盒月饼要贵！这难道和以前简洁的包装比起来，不是一个大的变化吗？现在，大多数买月饼的人都不是自己吃的，而是送给亲戚朋友的，如此送来送去，家里的月饼不但吃不完，还有可能堆积如山，这和以前又是一个变吧！ 

    中秋节，有些变化是好的，积极的，比如放假，人们可以跟家里人团聚，共享天伦之乐。但有些变化是否真的好呢，这值得我们每一个人深思！

      "Zhong Qiu Jie", which is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. It is a time for family members and loved ones to congregate and enjoy the full moon - an auspicious symbol of abundance, harmony and luck. Adults will usually indulge in fragrant mooncakes of many varieties with a good cup of piping hot Chinese tea, while the little ones run around with their brightly-lit lanterns.

　　"Zhong Qiu Jie" probably began as a harvest festival. The festival was later given a mythological flavour with legends of Chang-E, the beautiful lady in the moon.

　　According to Chinese mythology, the earth once had 10 suns circling over it. One day, all 10 suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved when a strong archer, Hou Yi, succeeded in shooting down 9 of the suns. Yi stole the elixir of life to save the people from his tyrannical rule, but his wife, Chang-E drank it. Thus started the legend of the lady in the moon to whom young Chinese girls would pray at the Mid-Autumn Festival.

　　In the 14th century, the eating of mooncakes at "Zhong Qiu Jie" was given a new significance. The story goes that when Zhu Yuan Zhang was plotting to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty started by the Mongolians, the rebels hid their messages in the Mid-Autumn mooncakes. Zhong Qiu Jie is hence also a commemoration of the overthrow of the Mongolians by the Han people.

　　During the Yuan Dynasty (A.D.1206-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung Dynasty(A.D.960-1279) were unhappy at submitting to foreign rule, and set how to coordinate the rebellion without it being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Packed into each mooncake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this event.

　　Mid-Autumn Day is a traditional festival in China. Almost everyone likes to eat mooncakes on that day. Most families have a dinner together to celebrate the festival. A saying goes, "The moon in your hometown is almost always the brightest and roundest". Many people who live far away from homes want to go back to have a family reunion. How happy it is to enjoy the moon cakes while watching the full moon with your family members.