元宵节的习俗

Eating Yuanxiao

吃元宵

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. 

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。

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. 

元宵是一种带馅儿的甜食，是由糯米粉加上甜的馅料制成。元宵节就是所以食品得名。

sticky

[ˈstɪki]   

adj.粘性的;热湿的，闷热的;极不愉快的;不动的

e.g.

Stir in the milk to make a soft but not sticky dough.

把牛奶搅进去，和成软而不黏的面团。

It is very easy to cook - simply dump them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes - and eaten as a desert. 

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。

Guessing lantern riddles

猜灯谜

"Guessing lantern riddles" is an essential part of the Festival. 

猜灯谜也是元宵节活动的一个基本组成部分。

essential

[ɪˈsenʃl]   

adj.必要的;本质的;基本的;精华的

n.必需品;基本要素;必不可少的东西

e.g.

Experience is essential for this job.

对于这个工作，经验是非常重要的。

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. 

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。

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.

这个活动起源于宋朝（960——1279）。猜灯谜活动极具情趣和智慧，因此在全社会广受欢迎。

riddle

[ˈrɪdl]   

n.谜语;粗筛;猜不透的难题，难解之谜

v.用筛分选，筛分;用子弹把耙子打成蜂窝似的;精查（证据）;解（谜），猜

e.g.

Scientists claimed yesterday to have solved the riddle of the birth of the Universe.

科学家们昨天声称已经解开了宇宙形成之谜。

Watch fireworks

看烟火

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. 

元宵节的白天会有舞龙舞狮、划旱船、扭秧歌、踩高跷。

On the night, except for magnificent lanterns, fireworks form a beautiful scene. 

而在晚上，除了各种大型灯会，明媚的焰火也是一幅美丽的画卷。

magnificent

[mægˈnɪfɪsnt]     

adj.壮丽的;瑰丽的;伟大的，高尚的;华丽的，高贵的

e.g.

She looked magnificent in her wedding dress.

她穿着婚纱，看上去漂亮极了。

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. 

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。

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.

当新年的第一轮圆月升上夜空时，人们都会因燃放烟花的烟火和空中的明月而兴奋。

intoxicated

[ɪnˈtɒksɪkeɪtɪd]   

adj.喝醉的，极其兴奋的

v.使喝醉;使陶醉;使激动不已;使欣喜若狂

e.g.

They seem to have become intoxicated by their success.

他们似乎陶醉在成功的喜悦中。

 你“滚”元宵还是“包”汤圆？