Falling on the 15th day of the first lunar month, Lantern Festival is the first significant feast after Chinese New Year, so called because the most important activity during the night of the event is watching various wonderful Chinese lanterns.元宵节是农历正月十五，它是春节之后第一个重要的节日，（英文）之所以这样称呼是因为当晚最重要的活动是观赏各种各样美丽的灯笼。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.因为正月叫元月，古代称夜为“宵”，正月十五是一年中第一个月圆之夜，所以这一天在中国也被称为元宵节。For its rich and colorful activities, it is regarded as the most recreational among all the Chinese festivals and a day for appreciating the bright full moon, and family reunion.元宵节活动丰富多彩，被认为是中国所有节日中最具娱乐性的节日，也是赏月、团聚的日子。
Customs and Activities 习俗与活动With a history of over 2,000 years, various traditional customs and activities are held during Lantern Festival that appeal to people of different ages, including watching lanterns and fireworks, guessing lantern riddles, performing folk dances, and eating yuanxiao.元宵节有2000多年的历史，各种传统习俗和活动吸引了不同年龄的人，包括观赏灯笼和烟花，猜灯谜、表演民间舞蹈，以及吃元宵。
01Watching Lanterns 赏花灯
During the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), Buddhism flourished in China. So in order to popularize Buddhism, one of the emperors gave an order to light lanterns in the imperial palace to worship and show respect for Buddha on the 15th day of the first lunar month. During the Tang (618 - 907), Song (960 - 1279), Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties, lighting lanterns became a tradition for Chinese people.汉代（公元前206年—公元220年），佛教在中国盛行。于是，为了推广佛教，一位皇帝下令在正月十五这一天在皇宫里燃灯，供奉佛祖。在唐(618 - 907)、宋(960 - 1279)、明(1368 - 1644)和清(1644 - 1911)朝代，燃灯成为中国人的传统。Today, when the festival comes, red lanterns can be seen in the street, in each house, and store. In the parks, lanterns of various shapes and types attract countless visitors. Visitors marvel that various lanterns so vividly demonstrate traditional Chinese folklore.现在，到了元宵节的时候，大街上、家门口、商店里都会挂上红灯笼。在公园里，各种形状和类型的灯笼吸引了无数的游客，各式各样的灯笼如此生动地展示了中国的传统民俗，令人十分惊叹。
02Guessing Lantern Riddles猜灯谜
Beginning from the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), guessing riddles is regarded as an indispensable part of the Lantern Festival. People write all kinds of riddles on pieces of paper, and paste them on colorful lanterns to let visitors guess. If one has an answer to a riddle, he can pull the paper to let organizers verify the answer. Gifts are presented to the people who get the right answers.从宋朝(960 - 1279)开始，猜灯谜就被视为元宵节不可或缺的一部分。人们把各种各样的谜语写在纸条上，贴在五颜六色的灯笼上，让游客猜。如果一个人有谜语的答案，他可以扯下纸条让组织者验证答案，猜对的人会得到礼物。Because this intellectual activity is exciting, people from all walks of life enjoy it.因为这种智力活动令人兴奋，各行各业的人都很喜欢。
