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
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