马上就到正月十五了元宵节了。

　　元宵节是农历正月的第十五天，这是新年的第一次满月，象征着和睦和团圆。元宵节是春节的一个重要组成部分，也象征着春节长假的正式结束。

　　Lantern Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. This is the first full moon of the new year, symbolizing unity and perfection. Lantern Festival is an important part of Spring Festival , and marks the official end of the long holiday.

　　元宵节中的你写习俗你可知道？

　　1. 吃元宵  Eating Yuanxiao

　　Yuanxiao is the special food for the Lantern Festival. It is believed that Yuanxiao is named after a palace maid, Yuanxiao, of Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty. Yuanxiao is a kind of sweet dumpling, which is made with sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing. And the Festival is named after the famous dumpling. It is very easy to cook - simply dump them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes - and eaten as a dessert.

　　元宵是元宵节的特色食品。据说，元宵是因汉武帝时期的一位名叫元宵的宫女而得名。元宵是一种带馅儿的甜食，是由糯米粉加上甜的馅料制成。元宵节就是因此食品得名。元宵的烹制方法非常简单，将元宵倒入装满沸水的锅中煮几分钟就可以了。

　　2. 猜灯谜  Guessing lantern riddles

　　"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。

　　3. 看烟火   Watch fireworks

　　In the daytime of the Festival, performances such as a dragon lantern dance, a lion dance, a land boat dance, a yangge dance, walking on stilts and beating drums while dancing will be staged. On the night, except for magnificent lanterns, fireworks form a beautiful scene. Most families spare some fireworks from the Spring Festival and let them off in the Lantern Festival. Some local governments will even organize a fireworks party. On the night when the first full moon enters the New Year, people become really intoxicated by the imposing fireworks and bright moon in the sky.

　　元宵节的白天会有舞龙舞狮、划旱船、扭秧歌、踩高跷。而在晚上，除了各种大型灯会，灿烂的焰火也是一幅美丽的画卷。很多家庭在春节时会留下一部分烟花等着元宵节放。有的地方政府甚至会组织焰火晚会。当新年的第一轮圆月升上夜空时，人们都会因燃放的烟火和空中的明月而兴奋。

　　为了同学们英语更进一步，附送上与元宵节有关词汇：

　　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

　　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

　　colored lanterns' temple fair 彩灯庙会