A red bean from popular Chinese animation series Beanie's Daily. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Eating red beans 吃红豆

Starting from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Song Dynasty (960-1279), people in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, have eaten red beans on Start of Autumn day. They take seven to 14 little beans, swallowing them with well water. When taking the beans, one must face west, it is said, so as not to get dysentery during the autumn.

从唐宋两朝开始，浙江义乌的人们就有了在立秋吃红豆的习俗。他们会拿出7到14颗小红豆，用井水服用。据说在吃红豆时，人们必须面朝西边，以免在秋天的时候患上痢疾。

[File photo]

Eating gourds 吃瓜

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), people would put gourds outside for a day before the Start of Autumn, and eat them on Start of Autumn day to drive off the summer heat. Today people in Tianjin still keep this custom, believing that eating melons such as towel gourd, white gourd and bitter gourd can prevent diarrhea in autumn and the coming winter and spring.

清朝时，人们会在立秋前一天在屋子外面挂一根瓜，然后在立秋当天吃掉，从而祛除夏季的暑气。现在天津人仍然保留着这一习俗，认为吃丝瓜、冬瓜、苦瓜等瓜类食物可以预防秋冬春季腹泻。

A woman happily picks pears at a garden. [Photo/sipaphoto.com]

'Touching Autumn' “摸秋”

There is the custom of "Touching Autumn" in the northern part of Yancheng, Jiangsu province. On the eve of Start of Autumn, people can touch and take for free all kinds of fruits as they like in private or public gardens, and the owners will not be angry, no matter how much they lose. Many gardeners even leave some mellow fruits in the field on purpose for the guests during the night.

江苏盐城北部地区有一个“摸秋”的习俗。在立秋前一天晚上，人们可以在私人或集体的瓜园中摸回各种瓜果，而无论损失多少主人都不会生气。有些瓜园主人甚至还会故意在地里为夜里来摸秋的客人留下一些成熟的瓜果。

（来源：中国日报网 编译：丹妮）

来源：中国日报网