Lantern Festival: A Celebration of Joy and Wisdom

◎鐘曉藝

元宵節(jié)，是一個充滿歡樂與智慧的節(jié)日，已經(jīng)走過了兩千多年的歷史長河。它不僅僅是一個簡單的傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日，更是中華民族團(tuán)結(jié)、和諧和創(chuàng)造力的象征。

The Lantern Festival, also known as Yuanxiao Festival, falls on the 15th day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar, marking the first full moon night of the year.The term “Yuanxiao” comes from “yuan”,meaning the first month of the lunar year, and “xiao”, an ancient term for night.This festival, rooted in over 2000 years of history, began during the Western Han Dynasty.

On this attractive night, the sky is1)adorned with a bright full moon,while the earth is lit with thousands of colorful lanterns.In the northern regions, families gather to enjoyyuanxiao, symbolizing reunion and happiness.These glutinous rice dumplings come in various fillings, such as sweet bean paste, sugar, hawthorn, or mixed fruits, and can be boiled, fried,steamed.Eatingyuanxiaorepresents hope for unity and prosperous, harmonious life, as well as a way to remember2)distant relatives and express wishes for the future.

Differently, the southern regions of China prefertangyuan, similar yet different fromyuanxiao.The difference lies in the preparation.Yuanxiaoare made by shaping the filling into balls and rolling them in glutinous rice flour, gradually forming a layer of sticky rice around the filling.In contrast,tangyuanare crafted similar to making dumplings: Glutinous rice flour is mixed with water, left to rest, and then shaped into balls with fillings mixed separately.The fillings fortangyuanare usually softer due to higher moisture content, not easy to3)preserve for a long time.With the development of quickfreezing technology,tangyuanhas also begun to appear in stores.

The Lantern Festival also has the tradition of lantern appreciation, which began in the Han Dynasty and reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty.The Song Dynasty saw a more vivid celebration, extending the lantern appreciation to five days with more beautiful lantern designs.The Ming Dynasty prolonged this to a ten-day event, the longest in Chinese history.Although the Qing Dynasty limited it to three days,the scale was grander than ever, with fireworks adding to the festivities.

An important part of the Lantern Festival is the joy of solving lantern riddles, a tradition that started in the Song Dynasty.Initially, riddles were written on paper and attached to colorful lanterns for people to guess.This intellectually stimulating and entertaining activity quickly gained popularity across all social strata.

The Lantern Festival is not only a traditional festival, but also a symbol of reunion, joy and wisdom in Chinese culture, and it is deeply loved by people of all ages.

1) adornv.裝飾

2) distantadj.遙遠(yuǎn)的

3) preservev.保存

元宵節(jié)，時間為農(nóng)歷的正月十五，標(biāo)志著一年中的第一個滿月之夜。“元宵”一詞中，“元”是農(nóng)歷年的第一個月，“宵”是古代對夜晚的稱呼。這個節(jié)日有著兩千多年的歷史，起源于西漢時期。

在這個迷人的夜晚，天空掛著明亮的滿月，而地面則被成千上萬的彩燈點亮。在北方，家庭聚集在一起享用象征著團(tuán)聚和幸福的元宵。這些糯米團(tuán)子有各種餡料，如甜豆沙、糖、山楂或混合水果，可以煮、炸、蒸。吃元宵代表著對團(tuán)結(jié)和繁榮、和諧生活的希望，也是一種對遠(yuǎn)方親人的懷念和對未來生活的美好愿望。

與此不同的是，南方地區(qū)更喜歡吃湯圓，湯圓雖然與元宵相似但又有所不同。二者區(qū)別在于制備方式。元宵是將餡料做成球狀，然后在糯米粉中滾動，逐漸在餡料周圍形成一層糯米粉的表皮。相比之下，湯圓的制作更像是做餃子：將糯米粉和水混合，靜置然后分別放入餡料搓成球狀。湯圓的餡料通常因含有更多水分而更軟,不易長時間保存。隨著速凍技術(shù)的發(fā)展，湯圓也開始出現(xiàn)在商店里。

元宵節(jié)還有賞燈的習(xí)俗。賞燈始于漢朝，唐朝時發(fā)展到頂峰。宋朝時元宵節(jié)的慶祝方式更豐富，賞燈活動持續(xù)5 天，燈籠的樣式也更加美觀。明朝時，賞燈活動延長至10 天，成為中國歷史上最長的燈節(jié)。盡管清朝的賞燈活動僅持續(xù)3 天，但規(guī)模空前，還燃放煙花以增添節(jié)日氣氛。

猜燈謎是元宵節(jié)的一項重要活動，始于宋朝。最初，人們把謎語寫在紙條上，貼在五顏六色的燈籠上供人猜。這種激發(fā)智力的娛樂活動很快在所有階層中受到歡迎。

元宵節(jié)不僅僅是一個傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日，它也是中華文化中團(tuán)聚、歡樂和智慧的象征，深受各個年齡段人群的喜愛。