元宵节的来历和风俗英文版介绍

元宵节是中国的传统佳节，在每年的农历正月十五这一天庆祝。元宵节的到来也标志着春节的结束。在元宵节的白天里，会有很多表演节目，例如，舞龙灯、舞狮、采莲船、扭秧歌、踩高跷和打鼓。到了晚上，除了华丽的灯笼，烟火也是另一道美丽的风景。下面是关于元宵节来历和风俗的英文介绍。

Lantem Festival The 15th day of the 1st lunar month.

The 15th day of the 1st lunar month is the Chinese Lantern Festival because the first lunar month is called yuan-month and in the ancient times people called night Xiao. The 15th day is the first night to see a full moon. So the day is also called Yuan Xiao Festival in China.

According to the Chinese tradition, at the very beginning of a new year, when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. At this time, people will try to solve the puzzles on the lanterns and eat yuanxiao (glutinous rice ball) and get all their families united in the joyful atmosphere.

译文：

元宵节正月十五吃元宵的的习俗由来已久,元宵也叫汤圆”、“圆子”。据说元宵象征团圆,吃元宵意味新的一年合家幸福、万事如意。

元宵节闹花灯的习俗起源于道教的“三元说”;正月十五日为上元节,七月十五日为中元节,十月十五日为下元节。主管上、中、下三元的分别为天、地、人三官,天官喜乐,故上元节要燃灯。元宵节的节期与节俗活动,是随历史的发展而延长、扩展的。

就节期长短而言,到唐代已为三天,宋代则长达五天,明代更是自初八点灯,一直到正月十七的夜里才落灯,整整十天。与春节相接,白昼为市,热闹非凡,夜间燃灯,蔚为壮观。特别是那精巧、多彩的灯火,更使其成为春节期间娱乐活动的高潮。至清代,又增加了舞龙、舞狮跑旱船、踩高跷、扭秧歌等百戏内容,只是节期缩短为四到五天。

Guessing Lantern Riddles（猜灯谜）

"Guessing lantern riddles"is an essential part of the Festival. Lantern owners write riddles on a piece of paper and post them on the lanterns. If visitors have solutions to the riddles, they can pull the paper out and go to the lantern owners to check their answer. If they are right, they will get a little gift. The activity emerged during people's enjoyment of lanterns in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). As riddle guessing is interesting and full of wisdom, it has become popular among all social strata.

猜灯谜也是元宵节活动的一个基本组成部分。灯笼的所有者将谜语写在一张纸条上，然后将纸条展示在灯笼上。如果赏灯者猜出谜语，就将纸条取出，然后找灯笼所有者确认答案。打对的话，他们就可以领取一份小礼品。这个活动起源于宋朝(960——1279)。猜灯谜活动极富情趣和智慧，因此在全社会广受欢迎。

Lion Dance （舞狮子）

According to ancient custom, the lion is a symbol of boldness and strength that can protect people, so by performing the lion dance, everyone prays for an auspicious and happy life.

根据古代习俗，狮子是勇敢和力量的象征，可以保护人们，因此，通过舞狮，每个人都祈求吉祥和幸福的生活。

Eating Yuanxiao（吃元宵）

Yuanxiao is the special food for the Lantern Festival, which has a similar pronunciation with "tuanyuan" in Chinese, meaning reunion, harmony and happiness for the family.

元宵是元宵节的特色食品，其名称和“团圆”的发音相近，取团圆之意，象征全家人团团圆圆，和睦幸福。