元宵节：

Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar year in the lunar calendar marking the last day of the lunar New Year celebration. It is usually in February or March in the Gregorian calendar.

元宵节是中国的传统节日。每年的阴历一月十五日是元宵节，阳历则在二月或三月，它也是阴历新年庆祝活动的最后一天。

In Hong Kong, it is commercialized as the Chinese equivalent of Valentine's Day. It is not to be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is sometimes also known as the "Lantern Festival" in locations such as Singapore and Malaysia.

在香港，元宵节已经被商业化，被人们当作中国的情人节。元宵节不应该和中秋节混为一谈，尽管在新加坡和马来西亚等地区，中秋节有时候被叫做"灯笼节"。

吃汤圆 ：

Eating Tangyuan

Eating Tangyuan is an important tradition for the Lantern Festival. Tangyuan, also known as yuanxiao, is a Chinese food made from glutinous rice flour mixed with a small amount of water to form balls and is then cooked and served in boiling water.

吃汤圆是元宵节的一项重要习俗。汤圆，又名“元宵”，是由糯米粉等做的球形食品，一般有馅料，煮熟带汤吃。

Traditionally, the balls come stuffed with sweet black sesame paste, although the fillings can vary. Tangyuan are eaten during Lantern Festival because of a homophone for union.

通常用黑芝麻做馅，但又不仅限于黑芝麻。据说元宵象征合家团圆美好，吃元宵意味着新的一年合家幸福、团团圆圆，所以正月十五元宵必备。

赏花灯 ：

Enjoying Lanterns

Decorating and hanging lanterns is the main tradition of the festival, with lanterns big and small hung around households, parks, streets and other public spaces. Red lanterns of various shape and type will attract countless visitors to watch.

正月十五赏花灯是元宵节必有的另一项习俗。人们把大大小小的花灯悬挂于家门口、公园、街道或者其他公共场所。各式各样的红灯笼将会吸引无数的游客前来观赏。

猜灯谜 ：

Guessing Lantern Riddles

Solving riddles on lanterns has been a popular tradition since the Song Dynasty. People write riddles on paper and stick them to the lanterns and if someone guesses correctly, they can pull the riddle off. The notes often contain messages of good fortune and wishes.

从宋代开始，猜灯谜就是一项非常受欢迎的民俗活动。人们把谜语写到纸上并悬之于灯，供人猜玩。通常，谜底都是各种吉祥话和祝福。

舞狮子 ：

Lion Dances

The lion dance is one of the oldest traditions to celebrate the Chinese New Year. In ancient times, people regarded the lion as a symbol of bravery and strength and believed the dance could drive away bad fortune to protect people and their livestock. The custom has continued to the modern day and lion dances are performed at important events on the Chinese calendar, such as the Lantern Festival, to bring good luck.

舞狮子是另一项庆祝新春的古老习俗。在古代，人们把狮子作为勇气和力量的象征，认为舞狮可以消灾降福。所以舞狮子的传统就延续至今，并且每逢佳节或庆典，如元宵节都会以舞狮子来祈求好运。

赏月亮 ：

Admiring the Full Moon

在赏月的时候，该如何形容月亮呢？

The moon is big and round. 月亮又大又圆。

The moon is round and bright.月亮又圆又亮。

The moon hangs high in the sky. 月亮高高地挂在天空中。

The moon is so far away. 月亮好远呀。

The moon looks clearer through a telescope. 用望远镜看月亮会更清楚。

元宵节时的月亮称为满月: full moon

那月亮还有其他哪几种形态?

常用的还有:

new moon 新月

half moon 半月

猜灯谜：

1. Which letter is a drink?

2. Which letter is an animal?

3. Which letter is a question?

4. Which letter is a part of your face?

5.What is clean when it is black and dirty when it is white?

6.What is always coming but never arrives?

7. What starts with “P” and ends with “E” and has more than 1000 letters?

8. What starts with a T, ends with a T, and is full of T?

9. What has a soft bed but never sleeps, a big mouth but never speaks?

10. What has cities with no houses, rivers without water and forests without trees?