Happy Lantern Festival !

元宵节，又称为上元节、灯节，是春节之后的个重要节日，是中国亦是汉字文化圈的地区和海外华人的传统节日之一。正月是农历的元月，古人称夜为“宵”，所以把一年中个月圆之夜正月十五称为元宵节。
不仅我们喜欢过元宵节，外国人对这个节日也非常感兴趣，以至于我们常常会在各种英语考试中发现以元宵节相关内容为素材的题目。

下面就以中国传统佳节——元宵节为例，快跟小编一起来学习一下英文表述下元宵节的相关知识吧！

1、As the first full moon of the new year approaches, China prepares to celebrate Lantern Festival.
随着新年的个满月临近，中国准备庆祝元宵节。

2、Lantern Festival, or yuanxiaojie in pinyin, which comes on the 15th day of the first lunar month, is the first festival after the celebration of Lunar New Year in China.
Lantern Festival（元宵节），是中国农历正月十五后的个节日。

“元宵节”是从什么时候开始盛行的呢？
3、The tradition dates back to more than 2000 years ago-during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) when Buddhism was flourishing in China. Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) ordered that lanterns be lit in the imperial palace to worship and show respect for Buddha.
这个传统可以追溯到2000多年前的汉朝（公元前206年至公元220年），当时佛教在中国很盛行。东汉明帝（25-220）下令在皇宫内点燃灯笼，以祭祀佛陀。

4、During the reign of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty (581-618), a large-scale gala with thousands of people was held over the course of the night to celebrate Lantern Festival.
隋炀帝在位时（581-618），为庆祝元宵节，在夜间举行了一场数千人的大型晚会。

5、The tradition of lighting lanterns gradually became a civilian activity, and the lanterns are now made into different sizes, shapes and colors-but all have good wishes for the new year.
传统的点灯逐渐成为民间的活动，现在的灯笼已经被制成不同的大小、形状和颜色，但都代表良好的新年愿望。

据说“元宵节”又被称为中国的‘情人节’，难道除了七夕，中国还有一个情人节？

6、This year's Lantern Festival arrives on Tuesday. Besides being a time for families to gather once more, in the old days it was also the Chinese "Valentine's Day". 
今年的元宵节是星期二。在过去，这一天除了是家人再次聚会的时间之外，也是中国的“情人节”。

7、In feudal society, most young women were not allowed to leave the house, but on Lantern Festival, all people could go out into the streets for the whole night to see the lanterns-it was a good opportunity for men and women to meet and fall in love.
在封建社会，大多数年轻妇女是不允许出门的，但是在元宵节，所有的人都可以到街上通宵看灯笼，这是男女相见相爱的好机会。

既然是传统佳节，自然不能忘记介绍美食，当人们进行庆祝的时候都喜欢吃什么呢？

6、Named yuanxiaojie, eating yuanxiao (glutinous rice balls with different fillings) is the most indispensable tradition during the day. While yuanxiao is made and eaten in northern China, people in southern China prefer to eat tangyuan, a similar food, but with a different preparation.
吃元宵是一天中最不可缺少的传统，取名元宵节。虽然元宵是在中国北方制造和食用的，但中国南方人更喜欢吃汤圆，一种类似的食物，但做法不同。

你的家乡喜欢吃汤圆还是元宵？这些美食你会做吗？

7、To make yuanxiao, the fillings are made and cut into small blocks first, and then tossed on a sieve with glutinous rice flour until it shapes itself into a ball.
做元宵，先把馅料做成小块，然后把它和糯米粉一起抛在筛子上，直到形成一个球。

8、The making of tangyuan is more like making dumplings-the glutinous rice flour dough is molded into round wrappings and fillings are put inside before they are rolled into balls.
汤圆的制作更像是做饺子，糯米粉面团被做成圆的包装，馅料在卷成球之前先放进去。

9、Both yuanxiao and tangyuan have similar sweet-flavored fillings, such as red bean paste, black sesame and crushed peanuts. But tangyuan also has savory fillings, including preserved vegetables with pork and mushroom.
元宵和汤圆都有类似的甜味填料，如红豆酱、黑芝麻和花生碎。但汤圆也有美味的馅料，包括猪肉和蘑菇腌菜。

10、Yuanxiao or tangyuan are both usually boiled and eaten with soup, but the soup is a bit different-the tangyuan soup is usually clear, and the yuanxiao soup is often opaque.
元宵和汤圆通常都是煮沸的，和汤一起吃，但是汤有点不同。汤圆汤通常是清汤，元宵汤通常是不透明的。

美食总有多种做法，以下两种不同烹饪手法制作的元宵，你吃过吗？

11、In northern China, there's another way of cooking yuanxiao-frying. The trick is to fry it without causing the filling to burst out. To do that, the oil needs to be 70-percent-hot oil and the yuanxiao should be fried for 30 seconds. Stab several small holes in the surface, and fry them again for four to five minutes to ensure a crispy crust.
在中国北方，还有另一种烹饪元宵的方法。诀窍是在不引起馅料流出的情况下油炸它。要做到这一点，油需要70%的热油，元宵应该炸30秒。在表面刺几个小洞，然后再炸4到5分钟，以确保外壳酥脆。

12、According to Zhao Guangyou, executive chef of Beijing cuisine restaurant, J&E Mansion, there is yet another traditional way of cooking yuanxiao in northern China-by boiling the yuanxiao in fermented glutinous rice soup and adding preserved fruit before seasoning with sweet osmanthus blossom honey.
据北京菜馆总厨赵光友介绍，中国北方还有一种传统的元宵烹饪方法，即在发酵糯米汤中煮沸元宵，加入蜜饯，然后用桂花蜂蜜调味。

尽管在食物上不同地区稍微有所差异，但无论是南方还是北方，在这一天大家都会举行元宵节猜灯谜活动，那些年你猜过的灯谜现在还记得吗？

13、Solving lantern riddles is another Lantern Festival tradition. The riddles are written one by one on separate slips of red paper and pasted under the lanterns-the right answer will win a gift for the bright mind who solves the puzzle.
解灯谜是元宵节的另一个传统。谜语一个接一个地写在红纸的单子上，贴在灯笼下，正确的答案将为解决谜题的聪明人赢得一份礼物。

14、Folk art activities with auspicious meanings, such as lion and dragon dancing, are also part of the celebration of the first full moon of the lunar year. Traditionally, the celebration of Lantern Festival also marks the end of the Spring Festival holiday.
舞狮、舞龙等具有吉祥意义的民间艺术活动，也是农历正月的一部分。传统上，元宵节也标志着春节假期的结束。

外国人喜欢以中国的传统佳节内容作为考题也能理解，毕竟中国文化博大精深，也需要向世界展现出去了，国外也喜欢中国的文化，我们也非常支持这种出题的倾向。所以作为考生的我们一定要好好准备这一块的内容。