The Hare - Jade Rabbit
野兔——玉兔

In this legend, three fairy sages transformed themselves into pitiful old men and begged for something to eat from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and the monkey both had food to give the old men, but the rabbit, empty-handed, offered his own flesh instead by jumping into a blazing fire to cook himself. The sages were so touched by the rabbit's sacrifice that they let him live in the Moon Palace where he became the "Jade Rabbit."
傳說中，三味仙人將自己變成可憐的老人向一只狐貍、猴子和兔子乞討吃的，狐貍和猴子都將自己的食物分給了仙人，只有兔子自己跳入了火坑而將自己的肉獻(xiàn)出來，先人們被兔子的犧牲所感動(dòng)，于是將兔子留在了月宮，這只兔子后來變成了玉兔。

Families get together to eat mooncakes and celebrate the end of the harvest season on this day. Scholars write poems about the moon. This night is also made for romantic rendezvous. Friendships are made and renewed. No wonder the August Moon Festival has a special meaning to all who believe in the mystical powers of the moon.
每到這一天，親人都會(huì)歡聚一堂吃月餅并慶祝豐收。文人們也寫了很多跟月亮有關(guān)的詩。這個(gè)夜晚也是浪漫約會(huì)的好時(shí)刻。新朋舊友也因此相聚，難怪中秋節(jié)對(duì)于那些相信月亮神秘力量的人來說有著特殊意義。

When did this festival first begin? No exact date can be found in historical documents, but scholars assume that it is related to 2 customs in China.
中秋節(jié)最早是于什么時(shí)候慶祝的？目前古籍資料上還沒有找到確切時(shí)間，但學(xué)者們認(rèn)為他跟中國的兩個(gè)習(xí)俗有關(guān)。

The first custom concerns farmers. China is an agricultural country, and farming is closely related to the seasons. In ancient times, farmers worshipped the Earth God to pray for a good harvest, when they sowed the seeds in spring. This was known as spring worship. During autumn, farmers also worshipped the Earth God to thank him for giving them a good harvest. This was known as autumn reward. Since the 15'" month of the 8th month is the time when rice paddies are harvested, some people believe that the Mid Autumn Festival came from the autumn reward ritual.
第一個(gè)習(xí)俗是關(guān)于農(nóng)民的，中國是一個(gè)農(nóng)業(yè)大國，而農(nóng)業(yè)跟季節(jié)息息相關(guān)。在古代，農(nóng)民們春天撒種播種時(shí)會(huì)向土地之神祈禱豐收。這就是著名的春日祭祀。到了秋天，人們會(huì)再次祭祀土地之神，感謝他給予人們豐收，這就是著名的秋日祭祀，因?yàn)殛帤v8月15日是水稻成熟之時(shí)，所以有些人認(rèn)為中秋節(jié)是從秋日祭祀儀式演變而來的。

The second custom concerns worship of the moon. According to astronomy, the Mid Autumn Festival occurs at the autumn equinox. At this time, the sunlight shines vertically on the equator, equally dividing the day and night in both the southern and northern hemispheres. The moon appears in the evening with gentle winds and light clouds. This is the best time to watch the moon. People later made this day, the day to worship the moon.
第二個(gè)習(xí)俗與祭祀月亮有關(guān)。根據(jù)天文學(xué)，中秋節(jié)是秋分之時(shí)。在這個(gè)時(shí)候，太陽直射赤道，南北半球晝夜平分。月亮在晚上出現(xiàn)，云淡風(fēng)輕，是觀月的最佳時(shí)機(jī)。后來人們就把這一天定為祭祀月亮的日子。