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正月是农历的元月,古人称夜为“宵”,所以称正 月十五为元宵节。正月十五日是一年中第一个月圆之夜,也是一元复始,大地回春的夜晚,人们对此加以庆祝,也是庆贺新春的延续。元宵节又称为“上元节”。按 中国民间的传统,在这天上皓月高悬的夜晚,人们要点起彩灯万盏,以示庆贺。出门赏月、燃灯放焰、喜猜灯谜、共吃元宵,合家团聚、同庆佳节,其乐融融。下面 就向大家介绍一些元宵节常用词语的英文表达。

 

  the Lantern Festival 元宵节

        Happy Lantern Festival

  the rice glue ball 元宵

  glutinous rice 糯米

        exhibit of lanterns 灯会

  guess lantern riddles 猜灯谜

  play couplets game 对对联

  enjoy beautiful lanterns 赏花灯

In the Lantern Festival, all the Chinese eat the sweet rice glue balls made of glutinous rice, because they symbolize unity and happiness.

  snuff 灯花

  lions/dragons dancing 舞龙/舞狮

  dragon lantern dancing 耍龙灯

  walking on stilts 踩高跷

  land boat dancing 划旱船

  yangko/yangge dance 扭秧歌

  beating drums while dancing 打太平鼓

  drum dance 腰鼓舞

  fireworks party 焰火大会

  traditional opera 戏曲

  variety show/vaudeville 杂耍

  Lantern Festival's temple fair 元宵庙会


Lantern Festival

In ancient China, new year celebrations started from New Year's Eve and reached a second climax during the Lantern Festival. Here is the story behind the Lantern Fetival: During the reign of Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty, there was a palace maid named Yuanxiao. Yuanxiao was a clever and kind-hearted girl, but she was very sad and homesick as she was locked up in the palace all year round.

Luckily she found a friend in a minister called Dongfang Shuo. He told the emperor a clever story and helped Yuanxiao see her family again.

Shuo told the emperor the Supreme Deity of Heaven had ordered the God of Fire to set the city of Changan ablaze on the 16th day of the first month of the lunar year. Shuo said the only way to prevent this from happening was to let off firecrackers and hang up red lanterns all over the city. Shuo said everyone, even the palace maids, would have to participate in the lantern show.

Knowing that the God of Fire loved to watch a good fire show and that he also liked the dumplings made by Yuanxiao, Shuo suggested to the emperor he allow Yuanxiao to present her dumplings to the god. Shuo said the fire god would surely be appeased and therefore save the city of Changan.

The emperor bought the story and ordered the city of Changan to spend that entire night letting off firecrackers and playing with lanterns. Nothing amiss happened that night and Yuanxiao took advantage of her time outside the palace to have a family reunion.

Emperor Wu Di had such a good time that the next year he again ordered that red lanterns be hung all over the city on that same day and the little palace maid made her dumplings again too.

Thus the 15th day of the first lunar month of the year became a festival. The Lantern Festival is also called the Yuanxiao Festival, named after the famous dumplings. On this night, people celebrate under the first full moon of the year, which is symbolic of family reunions and a full happy life.

Source: http://www.insidechina.com/culture/festival/

  colored lanterns' temple fair 彩灯庙会

posted on 2011-02-16 22:52 我的翻译博客 阅读(475) 评论(0)  编辑 收藏 引用
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