【用英语讲中国故事】元宵节the Lantern Festival

今天是“元宵节”（the Lantern Festival），小编在此先祝大家元宵节快乐！

元宵节是中国的传统节日之一，又称上元节或灯节，时间为每年农历正月十五。

元宵之夜，人们点起万盏花灯，大街小巷张灯结彩，将从除夕开始延续的新春庆祝活动推向又一个高潮。各家各户携亲伴友，赏灯赏月，逛花市，猜灯谜，载歌载舞欢度元宵佳节。

用英语讲中国故事

My favourite festival is the Lantern Festival. This festival is very important to the Chinese people. It is on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year. We often eat yuanxiao or tangyuan, go out to enjoy the moon and watch lanterns that day. I like watching lanterns and guessing lantern riddles. In the evening, people light up the lanterns. We can see different shapes of colourful lanterns. Some people write riddles on the lanterns. If we know the answer, we can take the lantern to its owner. If the answer is correct, there is a gift for the winner. I love this festival because it is very interesting.

正月十五的晚上，人们会纷纷走上街头来闹元宵：或放焰火，或猜灯谜，或看舞狮……到处都是欢声笑语！在古人的眼中，狮子为百兽之尊，代表着威严与勇猛。古人将它作为勇敢和力量的象征，认为通过舞狮能驱邪镇妖、保佑平安。当然，有些地方还有踩高跷的习俗。

下面我们先来看看这些传统习俗用英文怎么表达。

01 赏花灯

Viewing lanterns

It is tradition that people hang lanterns everywhere, in their house or in the streets. The lanterns depict various characters, like flying birds, leaping fishes, and shining fireworks, showing an atmosphere of joy. People will come out and appreciate the beautiful scene.

元宵节那天，人们在家中或者街道上挂满花灯。花灯琳琅满目，多种多样，上面画着飞鸟、鲤鱼、烟花等，处处洋溢着欢乐的氛围。人们会结伴出游欣赏花灯美景。

02 吃元宵

Eating yuanxiao

Eating yuanxiao is another Lantern Festival tradition. Yuanxiao is made of glutinous rice, either solid or stuffed. The stuffing includes bean paste, sugar, hawthorn, various kinds of fruit and so on. It can be boiled, fried or steamed and fried.

吃元宵是元宵节的另一传统习俗。元宵是用糯米做的，可以是糯米实心的，也可以夹馅儿。元宵的馅料有很多种，例如豆沙、糖心、山楂馅以及各种水果馅等。烹调方式也多样，开水煮、油炸蒸均可。

In the Lantern Festival, people from north part of China eat yuanxiao; while those from south part of China eat tangyuan.

元宵节这天，中国北方人吃元宵，南方人吃汤圆。

03 猜灯谜

Guessing lantern riddles

Riddles written on the lanterns can inspire wisdom and cater to the festival atmosphere, so many people like it very much. Guessing the answers to lantern riddles gradually became an indispensable part of the Lantern Festival.

灯谜可以激发人们的智慧，又烘托节日氛围，深受民众喜爱。猜灯谜渐渐成为元宵节不可缺少的一部分。

04 舞狮子

Lion dances

The lion dance is one of the oldest traditions to celebrate the Chinese New Year. In ancient times, people regarded the lion as a symbol of bravery and strength and believed the dance could drive away bad fortune to protect people and their livestock. The custom has continued to the modern day and lion dances are performed at important events on the Chinese calendar, such as the Lantern Festival, to bring good luck.

舞狮子是另一项庆祝新春的古老习俗。在古代，人们把狮子作为勇气和力量的象征，认为舞狮可以消灾降福。所以舞狮子的传统就延续至今，并且每逢佳节或庆典，如元宵节都会以舞狮子来祈求好运。

05 舞龙灯

Dragon dance

Dragon dance is a form of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture. Like the lion dance it is most often seen in festival celebration. The dance is performed by a team of dancers who manipulate a long flexible figure of a dragon using poles positioned at regular intervals along the length of the dragon.

舞龙灯是中国独具特色的民俗活动。与舞狮子一样，每逢佳节，人们都要耍龙灯。表演者由数十人组成，每人用一杆间隔支撑起一条长龙。

Chinese dragons are a symbol of China, and they are believed to bring good luck to people, therefore the longer the dragon in the dance, the more luck it will bring to the community.

龙是中国的象征，相传龙能够带来吉祥和好运。耍的龙灯越长，就越能给当地人民带来好运。因此，每逢春节、元宵节，人们都会举行耍龙灯的活动。

以下是关于元宵节的词汇、经典对话及祝福语，分享给大家！

元宵节相关英文词汇

the Lantern Festival 元宵节

rice glue ball 元宵

glutinous rice 糯米

lion / dragon dance 舞龙/舞狮
guess lantern riddles 猜灯谜
play couplets game 对对联
enjoy beautiful lanterns 赏花灯
snuff 灯花
exhibit of lanterns 灯会
dragon lantern dancing 耍龙灯
walking on stilts 踩高跷
land boat dancing 划旱船
yangko/yangge dance 扭秧歌
drum dance 腰鼓舞
traditional opera 戏曲
variety show/vaudeville 杂耍
Lantern Festival's temple fair 元宵庙会

元宵节英文祝福语

在元宵节来临之际，祝你平安，快乐，幸福。万事圆！

Wishing you peace, joy and happiness and everything all the best through Lantern !

致以热烈的祝贺和良好的祝福，元宵节快乐！

Warm greetings and best wishes for Lantern Festival!

快乐的元宵之际，谨致我的想念与祝福。

Thinking of you and wish you a Happy Lantern Festival.

愿你元宵节幸福无尽。

May Lantern Festival be filled with happiness for you.