节日主题英文课件——中秋节3（The Mid-autumn Festival）英文.ppt

Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations date back more than 2,000 years. 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 evening of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to hold a ceremony in praise of the moon. Mid-autumn Festival also has another name . Do you know what it is ? And why do we say so ? The Chinese believe that the moon is at its largest and brightest , and Chang E at her most beautiful , on the 15th night of the eighth lunar month . Its also cool then , a perfect time to celebrate the harvest ; hence , the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Harvest Festival. The festival is a time for family reunions to appreciate the moon and eat moon cakes together. Bathed in bright moonshine and with the company of chrysanthemum（菊花) and cassia blossoms , poets eat crab meat（蟹肉） and moon cake , drink tea and wine , and versify the night away . The round shape of moon cakes just symbolizes not only the moon but also the unity of the family. But nowadays , the cakes are in all kinds of shape . There are many styles of moon cake in China; the most popular in Taiwan are the Cantonese, Soochow, and Taiwanese styles. The Cantonese moon cake is thicker and heavier, while the Soochow and Taiwanese ones have a crispy skin. In the last couple of years a new breed of refrigerated, unbaked moon cake has been gaining popularity, especially among youngster; and durian, coconut meat, vanilla, tea, and coffer have added as ingredients. Most Chinese consume moon cakes given to them by relatives, friend, employers, or public relations people.Hence, brands matter. Among the most famous are Kee Wah, Marias and shin Tung Yang. Moon cakes go best with oolong or jasmine tea. It takes the moon about 29 1/2 days to revolve arou