Lantern Festival

王玉峰

Helper：

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Chinese Brief Introduction

每年农历的正月十五，春节刚过，迎来的就是中国传统节日之一——元宵节，又称“上元节”。正月是农历的元月，古人称夜为“宵”，所以称正月十五为元宵节。其中吃元宵、赏花灯、猜灯谜等是元宵节几项重要的民间习俗。元宵赏灯始于东汉明帝时期，明帝提倡佛教，听说佛教有正月十五僧人观佛舍利、点灯敬佛的做法，就命令这一天夜晚在皇宫和寺庙里点灯敬佛，令土族庶民都挂灯，以后这种佛教礼仪节日逐渐形成民间盛大的节日。该节日经历了由宫廷到民间，由中原到全国的发展过程。元宵节赏花灯是一个交谊的机会，未婚男女借着赏花灯也可以顺便为自己物色对象，所以元宵节可以说是地道的中国情人节。

Exercise：

Ⅰ.Questions

1. According to the folk custom of China， what will people do on the night of the Lantern Festival？

2. How did the custom of appreciating lanterns on the Lantern Festival come into being？

3. Please explain to your foreign friends： Why we Chinese eat yuanxiao on the Lantern Festival？

4. What kind of celebrating activities will be held in celebration the Lantern Festival？

Ⅱ.Riddles

1. What has a mouth and a fork but never eats？

2. What has a hand but can't scratch itself？

3. What has no skin or bones， yet has four fingers and a thumb？

4. What part of a watch was used before by someone else？

5. Why is an empty purse always the same？

6. Where can you always find money when you look for it？

7. What is something that never asks any questions but demands a great many answers？

Ⅲ.Written work

元宵節你要带你的美国朋友Tom去街上看活动，并给他介绍该节日的一些相关知识。你可以根据以下要点进行介绍：

元宵节是中国的传统（traditional）节日，每年正月十五人们都要举办许多活动，比如吃汤圆、赏花灯、猜灯谜、踩高跷、舞狮子等。

注意：（1）参考词汇：猜灯谜guess riddles；踩高跷walk on stilts；舞狮子do lion dancing；元宵节the Lantern Festival

（2）可适当发挥；词数：100左右。

Blessings：

1.元宵节之际，祝你心中有首快乐的歌，新年快乐！

Wishing you a merry song in your heart at Lantern Festival and blessings all year long！

2.在元宵节来临之际，祝你平安、快乐、幸福、万事圆！

Wishing you peace， joy and happiness and everything all the best through Lantern Festival！

3.致以热烈的祝贺和良好的祝福，元宵节快乐！

Warm greetings and best wishes for Lantern Festival！

4.快乐的元宵节之际，谨致我的想念与祝福。

Think of you and wish you a Happy Lantern Festival.

5.元宵节转眼又到，快乐也到！我们向你及你的亲人们致以最美好的圣诞祝福，愿你在接下来的日子里事业兴旺，幸福美满！

It seems that Lantern Festival is here once again， and it is time again to bring in happiness.We wish the merriest of Lantern Festival to you and your loved ones， and we wish you happiness and prosperity in the days ahead！

6.愿你元宵節幸福无尽。

May Lantern Festival be filled with happiness for you.

Suggested answers：

Ⅰ.Questions：

1. According to the folk custom of China， what will people do on the night of the Lantern Festival？

Key： People on that night will lighten up fancy lanterns and go out to appreciate the moon， set off fireworks， guess riddles written on lanterns， and eat rice glue balls to celebrate the festival.

2. How did the custom of appreciating lanterns on the Lantern Festival come into being？

Key： It originates from the Eastern Han Dynasty， when Buddhism was introduced into China.It is a Buddhist convention that the monks would visit Buddhist relics and lighten up lanterns to show respect to Buddha on Jan. 15. Therefore， Emperors of that dynasty， determined to promote Buddhism， ordered people to lighten up lanterns in both palaces and temples on that night to show respect to Buddha. So it was the civilians.

3. Please explain to your foreign friends why we Chinese eat yuanxiao on the Lantern Festival？

Key： Eating small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour is important part of the Lantern Festival. We call these balls “yuanxiao” or “tangyuan”. Obviously， they get the name from the festival itself. Made of sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing and round in shape， it symbolizes family unity， completeness and happiness.

4. What kind of celebrating activities will be held in celebration the Lantern Festival？

Key： People go to streets with a variety of lanterns under the full moon， watching Lion or Dragon Dance， playing Chinese riddles and games， stilting， striking land boat， doing the Yangko， striking Peace Drum， enjoying yuanxiao and setting off firecrackers and so on.

Ⅱ.Riddles

1.A river.（河流有河口及分叉处）

2.A clock.

3.A glove.

4.The second hand.（此处的second指的是时钟的秒针，英文中的秒针与二手货正巧是同一个字。）

5.Because there is never any CHANGE in it（因为空的皮夹中绝对不会有零钱/改变。零钱与改变是同一个单词“change”。）

6.In the dictionary.

7.A phone.（因为接电话是answer the phoneo）

Ⅲ.Written work

The Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China. It falls on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Chinese lunar year. Whenever the festival draws near， Chinese people make some preparations and take part in all kinds of activities， like singing and dancing. As every Chinese person knows， families get together on the day of the festival and eat tangyuan. In the evening， people go out to look at the bright and colorful lanterns， which is relaxing and pleasant. In some parts of China， people take part in activities， such as guessing riddles， walking on stilts and doing lion dancing. On the whole， the Lantern Festival is an important festival in China， just like the Spring Festival.