正月十五 闹元宵 Yuánxiāojié The Lantern Festival

元宵节，中国的传统节日之一，又称上元节、小正月、元夕或灯节，时间为每年农历正月十五。

Yuánxiāojié, zhōngguó de chuántǒng jiérì zhī yī, yòu chēng shàngyuánjié, xiǎozhēngyuè, yuánxī huò dēngjié, shíjiān wéi měinián nónglì zhēngyuè shí wǔ.

The Lantern Festival is one of the traditional Chinese festivals, also known as Shangyuan Festival, Little First month, Yuanxi festival or Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month.  

正月是农历的元月，古人称“夜”为“宵”，正月十五是一年中第一个月圆之夜，所以称正月十五为“元宵节”。根据道教“三元”的说法，正月十五又称为“上元节”。元宵节习俗自古以来就以热烈喜庆的观灯习俗为主。 

Zhēngyuè shì nónglì de yuányuè, gǔrén chēng ‘yè’ wéi ‘xiāo’, zhēngyuè shí wǔ shì yì nián zhōng dì yī gè yuè yuán zhī yè, suǒyǐ chēng zhēngyuè shí wǔ wéi ‘yuánxiāojié’. Gēnjù dàojiào ‘sānyuán’ de shuōfǎ, zhēngyuè shí wǔ yòu chēng wéi ‘shàngyuájié’. Yuánxiāojié xísú zìgǔyǐlái jiù yǐ rèliè xǐqìng de guān dēng xísú wéi zhǔ.

The 15th day of the first lunar month is the night of the first full moon in a year, so the 15th day is called the Lantern Festival.  According to Taoist "sanyuan", the 15th day of the first lunar month is also called "Shangyuan Festival".  Since ancient times, the custom of Lantern Festival has been based on the custom of watching lanterns.  

元宵节的形成有一个较长的过程，根源于民间开灯祈福古俗。据一般的资料与民俗传说，正月十五在西汉已经受到重视，不过正月十五元宵节真正作为全国民俗节日是在汉魏之后。正月十五燃灯习俗的兴起也与佛教东传有关，唐朝时佛教大兴，仕官百姓普遍在正月十五这一天“燃灯供佛”，佛家灯火于是遍布民间，从唐代起，元宵张灯即成为法定之事。

Yuánxiāojié de xíngchéng yǒu yígè jiào cháng de guòchéng, gēnyuán yū mínjiān kāi dēng qífú gǔsú. Jù yìbān de zīliào yǔ mísú chuánshuō, zhēngyuè shí wǔ zài xīhàn yǐjīng shòudào zhòngshì, búguò zhēngyuè shí wǔ yuánxiāojié zhēnzhèng zuòwéi quánguó mínsú jiérì shì zài hànwèi zhī hòu. Zhēngyuè shí wǔ rán dēng xísú de xīngqǐ yě yǔ fójiào dōng chuán yǒuguān, tángcháo shí fójiào dà xīng, shìguān bǎixìng pǔbiàn zài zhēngyuè shí wǔ zhè yì tiān ‘rán dēng gōng fó’, fójiā dēnghuǒ yūshì biànbù mínjiān, cóng tángdài qǐ, yuánxiāo zhāng dēng jì chéngwéi fǎdìng zhī shì.

The formation of the Lantern Festival has a long process, rooted in the ancient custom of turning on lights to pray for good luck.  According to general information and folklore legend, the 15th day of the first lunar month in the Western Han Dynasty has been taken seriously, but the 15th Day of the Lantern Festival as a national folk festival after the Han and Wei dynasties.  The rise of the custom of burning lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first month is also related to the spread of Buddhism, tang Dynasty Buddhism flourished, officials and people generally in the fifteenth day of the first month "burning lamps for Buddha", Buddhist lights all over the folk, since the Tang Dynasty, Lantern Festival lanterns become a legal matter.

元宵节是中国的传统节日之一。元宵节主要有赏花灯、吃汤圆、猜灯谜、放烟花等一系列传统民俗活动。此外，不少地方元宵节还增加了游龙灯、舞狮子、踩高跷、划旱船、扭秧歌、打太平鼓等传统民俗表演。

Yuánxiāojié shì zhōngguó de chuántǒng jiérì zhī yī. Yuánxiāojié zhǔyào yǒu shǎng huādēng, chī tāngyuán, cāi dēngmí, fàng yānhuā děng yí xìliè chuántǒng mínsú huódòng. Cíwài, bù shǎo dìfāng yuánxiāojié hái zēngjiā le yóu lóng dēng, wǔ shīzi, cǎi gāo qiāo, huá hàn chuán, niǔ yāng gē, dǎ tàipíng gǔ děng chuántǒng mínsú biǎoyǎn. 

The Lantern Festival is one of the traditional Festivals in China.  The Lantern Festival is mainly a series of traditional folk activities, such as watching lanterns, eating glutinous rice balls, guessing lantern riddles and setting off fireworks.  In addition, the Lantern Festival in many places also added a dragon lantern parade, lion dance, walking on stilts, land boat rowing, yangko dance, beating drums and other traditional folk performances.  

元宵节是中国的情人节，它是一个浪漫的节日，元宵灯会在封建的传统社会中，也给未婚男女相识提供了一个机会，传统社会的年轻女孩不允许出外自由活动，但是过节却可以结伴出来游玩，元宵节赏花灯正好是一个交谊的机会，未婚男女借着赏花灯也顺便可以为自己物色对象。元宵节期间，又是男女青年与情人相会的时机。

Yuánxiāojié shì zhōngguó de qíngrénjié, tā shì yígè làngmàn de jiérì, yuánxiāo dēng huì zài fēngjiàn de chuántǒng shèhuì zhōng, yé gěi wèi hūn nán nǚ xiāngshi tínggōng le yí gè jīhuì, chuántǒng shèhuì de niánqīng nǚhái bù yúnxǔ chūwài zìyóu huódòng, dànshì guòjié què kěyǐ jiébàn chūlái wán, yuánxiāojié shǎng dēng zhèngshì yígè jiāo yí de jīhuì, wèi hūn nánnǘ jiè zhe shǎng huā dēng yě shùnbiàn kěyǐ wèi zìjǐ wùsè duìxiàng. Yuánxiāojié qījiān, yòu shì nánnǚ qīngnián yǔ qíngrén xiānghuì de shíji. 

The Lantern Festival is the Chinese valentine's day, it is a romantic festival, the parade in the traditional feudal society, also meet provides an opportunity for unmarried men and women, and young girls are not allowed to go out of free activity, but can come out to play together, the Lantern Festival to admire the lanterns at the right moment is an opportunity to companionship,  Unmarried men and women through the lanterns can also incidentally for their own targets.  Lantern Festival is also an occasion for young men and women to meet their lovers.