關於元宵節的習俗英語介紹
中國有着幾千年的悠久歷史，其中民俗文化是漢文化中的重要組成部分，中國有着各種民俗文化，元宵節便是這其中一種。元宵節是中國傳統的節日之一，是一個十分重要的節假日。你對元宵節瞭解多少？你知道元宵節的習俗是什麼嗎？下面，我們通過英語介紹來了解下吧。
The Lantern Festival (元宵節) is the last day of the Chinese New Year celebration. This day is for the last moment for setting off fireworks, the last excuse for eating a big feast and the last chance for family getting together before the “年” celebrations are over. (Latern Festival is also a traditional time of celebration for foreigners who live in China).
The Lantern Festival, the 15th of the first month of the lunar calendar, is the first full moon of the year. Celebrations and traditions on this day date back to the Western Han Dynasty.
Traditions for this festival: as the name indicates, hanging and looking at lanterns is the main tradition. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are displayed on trees, or along river banks.
Parents often take their children to Lantern Fairs and sometimes lucky kids even get a mini toy lantern.
Another tradition is guessing lantern riddles. These are riddles that are hung on lanterns for people to shoot down and solve. The riddles are usually short, wise, and sometimes humorous. The answer to a riddle can be a Chinese character, a famous person's name, a place name or a proverb. This tradition has become a popular game with serious staying power even as social development changes other traditions.
Other than that, the most important thing to do today is to eat sweet dumplings. In northern China, sweet dumplings made of glutinous rice flour are called “元宵” while in southern part they are called “湯圓”. Typical sweet dumplings are filled with black sesame sauce, sweetened bean paste, or hawthorn. Making “元宵” today is like a game or an activity, so it's seldom done without a reason and a group of friends or family present to help out.
小結：元宵，原意為“上元節的晚上”，因正月十五“上元節”主要活動是晚上的吃湯圓賞月，後來節日名稱也演化為“元宵節”。將從除夕開始延續的慶祝活動推向又一個高潮。
