每年農曆的正月十五，春節剛過，迎來的就是中國的傳統節日——元宵節。 按中國民間的傳統，在這天上皓月高懸的夜晚，人們要點起彩燈萬盞，以示慶賀。出門賞月、燃燈放焰、喜猜燈謎、共吃元宵，閤家團聚、同慶佳節，其樂融融。
元宵節：festival of lanterns，lantern festival dumplings
元宵： the rice glue ball
燈謎：riddles written on lanterns
燈具：lamps and lanterns
燈花 snuff
燈籠褲 bloomers galligaskins knickers pantalettes plus fours
燈籠 lantern scaldfish
燈塔 beacon lighthouse pharos
燈語 lamp signal
燈油 kerosene lamp oil
燈心蜻蜓 damselfly#p#副標題#e#
元宵節正月十五吃元宵節的習俗由來已久，元宵也叫“湯圓”、“圓子”。據說元宵象徵閤家團圓，吃元宵意味新的一年閤家幸福、萬事如意。
元宵節鬧花燈的習俗起源於道教的“三元說”；正月十五日爲上元節，七月十五日爲中元節，十月十五日爲下元節。主管上、中、下三元的分別爲天、地、人三官，天官喜樂，故上元節要燃燈。元宵節的節期與節俗活動，是隨歷史的發展而延長、擴展的。就節期長短而言，漢代才一天，到唐代已爲三天，宋代則長達五天，明代更是自初八點燈，一直到正月十七的夜裏才落燈，整整十天。與春節相接，白晝爲市，熱鬧非凡，夜間燃燈，蔚爲壯觀。特別是那精巧、多彩的燈火，更使其成爲春節期間娛樂活動的高潮。至清代，又增加了舞龍、舞獅、跑旱船、踩高蹺、扭秧歌等“百戲”內容，只是節期縮短爲四到五天。
The 15th day of the 1st lunar month is the Chinese Lantern Festival because the first lunar month is called yuan-month and in the ancient times people called night Xiao. The 15th day is the first night to see a full moon. So the day is also called Yuan Xiao Festival in China.
According to the Chinese tradition， at the very beginning of a new year， when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky， there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. At this time， people will try to solve the puzzles on the lanterns and eat yuanxiao （glutinous rice ball） and get all their families united in the joyful atmosphere.
History
Until the Sui Dynasty in the sixth century， Emperor Yangdi invited envoys from other countries to China to see the colorful lighted lanterns and enjoy the gala（節日的，慶祝的）performances.
By the beginning of the Tang Dynasty in the seventh century， the lantern displays would last three days. The emperor also lifted the curfew（宵禁令）， allowing the people to enjoy the festive lanterns day and night. It is not difficult to find Chinese poems which describe this happy scene.
In the Song Dynasty， the festival was celebrated for five days and the activities began to spread to many of the big cities in China. Colorful glass and even jade were used to make lanterns， with figures from folk tales painted on the lanterns.
the largest Lantern Festival celebration took place in the early part of the 15th century. The festivities continued for ten days. Emperor Chengzu had the downtown area set aside as a center for displaying the lanterns. Even today， there is a place in Beijing called Dengshikou. In Chinese， Deng means lantern and Shi is market. The area became a market where lanterns were sold during the day. In the evening， the local people would go there to see the beautiful lighted lanterns on display.
Today， the displaying of lanterns is still a big event on the 15th day of the first lunar month throughout China. People enjoy the brightly lit night. Chengdu in Southwest China‘s Sichuan Province， for example， holds a lantern fair each year in the Cultural Park. During the Lantern Festival， the park is literally an ocean of lanterns！ Many new designs attract countless visitors. The most eye-catching lantern is the Dragon Pole. This is a lantern in the shape of a golden dragon， spiraling up a 27-meter -high pole， spewing fireworks from its mouth. It is quite an impressive sight！#p#副標題#e#
元宵節是中國的傳統節日，早在2000多年前的西漢就有了，元宵賞燈始於東漢明帝時期，明帝提倡佛教，聽說佛教有正月十五日僧人觀佛舍利，點燈敬佛的做法，就命令這一天夜晚在皇宮和寺廟裏點燈敬佛，令士族庶民都掛燈。以後這種佛教禮儀節日逐漸形成民間盛大的節日。該節經歷了由宮廷到民間，由中原到全國的發展過程。
在漢文帝時，已下令將正月十五定爲元宵節。漢武帝時，“太一神”的祭祀活動定在正月十五。（太一：主宰宇宙一切之神）。司馬遷創建“太初曆”時，就已將元宵節確定爲重大節日。
另有一說是元宵燃燈的習俗起源於道教的“三元說”；正月十五日爲上元節，七月十五日爲中元節，十月十五日爲下元節。主管上、中、下三元的分別爲天、地、人三官，天官喜樂，故上元節要燃燈。
元宵節的節期與節俗活動，是隨歷史的發展而延長、擴展的。就節期長短而言，漢代才一天，到唐代已爲三天，宋代則長達五天，明代更是自初八點燈，一直到正月十七的夜裏才落燈，整整十天。與春節相接，白晝爲市，熱鬧非凡，夜間燃燈，蔚爲壯觀。特別是那精巧、多彩的燈火，更使其成爲春節期間娛樂活動的高潮。至清代，又增加了舞龍、舞獅、跑旱船、踩高蹺、扭秧歌等“百戲”內容，只是節期縮短爲四到五天。
Origin
There are many different beliefs about the origin of the Lantern Festival. But one thing for sure is that it had something to do with religious worship.
One legend tells us that it was a time to worship Taiyi， the God of Heaven in ancient times. The belief was that the God of Heaven controlled the destiny of the human world. He had sixteen dragons at his beck and call and he decided when to inflict drought， storms， famine or pestilence（瘟疫）upon human beings. Beginning with Qinshihuang， the first emperor to unite the country， all subsequent emperors ordered splendid ceremonies each year. The emperor would ask Taiyi to bring favorable weather and good health to him and his people. Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty directed special attention to this event. In 104 BC， he proclaimed it one of the most important celebrations and the ceremony would last throughout the night.
Another legend associates the Lantern Festival with Taoism. Tianguan is the Taoist god responsible for good fortune. His birthday falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is said that Tianguan likes all types of entertainment. So followers prepare various kinds of activities during which they pray for good fortune.
The third story about the origin of the festival is like this. Buddhism first entered China during the reign of Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han Dynasty. That was in the first century. However， it did not exert any great influence among the Chinese people. one day， Emperor Mingdi had a dream about a gold man in his palace. At the very moment when he was about to ask the mysterious figure who he was， the gold man suddenly rose to the sky and disappeared in the west. The next day， Emperor Mingdi sent a scholar to India on a pilgrimage（朝聖）to locate Buddhist scriptures. After journeying thousands of miles， the scholar finally returned with the scriptures. Emperor Mingdi ordered that a temple be built to house a statue of Buddha and serve as a repository for the scriptures. Followers believe that the power of Buddha can dispel darkness. So Emperor Mingdi ordered his subjects to display lighted lanterns during what was to become the Lantern Festival.
