Talk about The Moon Festival

1Talk about The Moon Festival
When I was in the childhood, at the mid-autumn festival ,my mother always prepared cakes, pomelo, cosmetics ,flowers and a tub of water to worship the Moon Goddess under the moonlight. She said that a beauty who named Chang Er ,lived in the moon for thousands years and became the Moonlight Bodhisattva.
July20/1969,when Armstrong said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. " My mother watched TV and kept silent for a moment, then she said,"I wonder to worship the Moon Goddess, if the moon is just a planet and the shadow of the moon is the rocks." In my deep memory,the 1969' Moon Festival , we decided no more to worship the moon .Though that day , heavy rains and strong winds of a typhoon hit Taiwan . " Isn't the Goddess angry? " My mother said, " Don't worry. We prefer believing the scientist to the legend. " Since that year, the Moon Festival is just a day of family reunion to us.
In the ancient Chinese literary works, especial the poetries, there were lots of describing the feelings to watch the same moon when the poets were alone on the way, in the house, in the battlefield far away from their homeland thinking their family and lovers. So romantic and beautiful imagination of the moon came into the Chinese generations. The Moon Festival appeals to Chinese sentiment.
In Taiwan, we admired the full moon to enjoy the family gathering ,eating moon cakes, pomelo and drinking the tea. Recently, barbecue has become a popular family activity to celebrate the Moon Festival. This is a warm holiday.
談談中秋節
當我在孩童時期，每到中秋節，我的母親總會準備月餅，柚子，胭脂粉餅，花和一盆水在月光下祭拜月娘。她說有一位美女名叫嫦娥，住在月亮上幾千年，成了月光菩薩。
西元一九六九年七月二十日，當阿姆斯壯說：" 我的一小步是人類的一大步。" 我的母親注視著電視沈默了一會兒說："我對拜月娘感到納悶，如果月亮僅僅是一個星球，月亮上的黑影祇是岩石。" 我一直深深的記得一九六九年的中秋節，我們決定不再拜月亮。然而那一天，颱風帶來豪雨和強風重擊台灣。" 是不是月娘發怒了? "我的母親說："別擔心，我們寧願相信科學家而不是傳說。"從那一年以後，中秋節對我們僅僅是家人團圓的曰子。
在中國古典文學作品中，尤其是詩詞，有許多描寫欣賞同一個月亮的感受，當詩人孤獨的在旅途中，在屋裡，在戰場上遠離家園思念家人和所愛的人。對月亮懷有如此浪漫和美麗的想像力深深影響了世世代代的中國人。中秋節也因之觸動著中國人善感的心弦。
在台灣，我們賞月享受月圓人團圓，也吃月餅，柚子，並品茗飲茶，近年來烤肉更成了慶祝中秋節頗受歡迎的家庭活動。這是一個溫馨的節日。

The Ghost Month coming to an End

The Ghost Month coming to an End
The lunar seventh month comes to an end , in Taiwan, this month is called " Ghost Month". At the first day of the month ,the gates of the Hell are opened , then all spirits are allowed to have a month' vacation wandering in the living world.
This month,when we were in the childhood ,we were forbidden to whistle and play outdoors at the evening, to swim in the stream and pond .Due to the adults said that the ghosts would catch someone instead of them ,then they could re-enter the womb. Till now, it's not suitable for moving, marrying, or celebrating anything in folk tale.
Through the month ,especially on the first day, the fifth day, and the last day ,we are not only to worship our ancestors ,but also to prepare food, fruit, wine to treat passing by lonely soul and to burn paper money for them.
Because Taiwan is an immigrant society, during hundreds years, people were coming from China mainland to explore, to open up ,to develop the new land and to struggle against natural destructions. Many people devoted their whole life in the field ,no family, being lonely soul ,Taiwanese appreciated their effort and named them " Good Brothers" .People treated them in the month every year and became the Ghost Festival.
In fact, there are many typhoons hit Taiwan in summer ,during the lunar seventh month , people's properties were often destroyed by the strong winds, heavy rains and flood . So that people worshiped ancestors to pray living in peace and shared with the company to thank whom had struggled for the land.
Last the traditional activities,we are not afraid of the ghosts, but feel sympathetic to the all alone.
鬼月快結束了
農曆七月已近尾聲，在台灣，這個月被稱鬼月。在這個月的第一天，鬼門関被打開，所有的鬼魂被允許有一個月的假期在人界遊走。
當我們在孩童時期，這個月我們被禁止晚上逗留在屋外玩耍吹口哨，禁止在溪流，池塘戲水，因為大人們說鬼會抓人替代，他們好去投胎。直到今日，傳說中仍禁忌搬家，結婚及舉辦喜慶宴會。整個月，尤其是初一，十五及月尾，我們不僅祭祀祖先，也準備食物，水果及酒款待過往的孤魂野鬼，並燒紙錢給他們。
因為台灣是個移民的社會，在數百年間，人們從中國大陸來探險，開發，發展了這塊新土地，並且和大自然的災害搏鬥。許多人奉獻他們的一生在這塊土地上，沒有家庭終成孤魂野鬼。台灣人感激他們的努力，稱他們為好兄弟。人們在每年這個月款待他們而形成鬼節。
事實上，夏天有許多颱風重創台灣，在農曆七月，人們的身家財產常被強風豪雨洪流破壞。所以人們敬拜祖先祈求生活平安，並分享感謝曾為這塊土地奮鬥的夥伴。
持續這個傳統的活動，我們不害怕鬼，而是同情孤零零的人。