Reading
R 1
During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns (simplified Chinese: 猜灯谜; ).In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, and only the emperor and noblemen had large ornate ones.
元宵节，孩子们晚上提着纸灯笼出门，解灯谜（猜灯谜；拼音：cāidēngmí）。古代的灯笼比较简单，只有皇帝和贵族才有大的华丽的。在现代，灯笼被装饰了许多复杂的设计
R 2
Is the Lantern Festival the Real Chinese Valentine’s Day?
元宵节是真正的七夕节吗？
China’s Lantern Festival is one of the romantic traditional Chinese festivals. In ancient times, unmarried women were not allowed to go out of the house. The Chinese Lantern Festival provided an opportunity for them to stroll freely, lighting lanterns, playing games, and interacting with men. This is why some say that the Chinese Lantern Festival is the true Chinese “Valentine’s Day”, rather than Qixi Festival (七夕 ‘Double Seventh’).
中国的元宵节是中国浪漫的传统节日之一。在古代，未婚女子不准出门。元宵节为她们提供了一个自由漫步、点灯、玩游戏、与男人互动的机会。这就是为什么有人说中国元宵节是真正的中国“情人节”，而不是七夕节（“七夕”）。
R 3
Floating lanterns.
Flying lanterns, which are propelled by hot air generated by a little flame inside, are like miniature hot air balloons. These are only released at night during special occasions like the Mid-Autumn Festival. Usually, flying Chinese lanterns are released in large quantities, creating a mesmerizing effect.
由内部一点点火焰产生的热空气推动的飞灯就像微型热气球。这些仅在中秋节等特殊场合在晚上发布。通常，会大量放飞中国灯笼，营造出迷人的效果。
R 3
Guessing (solving) lantern riddles started in the Song Dynasty (960–1279), and it is one of the most important and popular activities of the Lantern Festival. Lantern owners write riddles on paper notes and paste them on the colorful lanterns. People crowd round to guess the riddles.
猜（解）灯谜始于宋朝（960-1279），是元宵节最重要、最受欢迎的活动之一。灯笼主人将谜语写在纸条上，然后贴在五颜六色的灯笼上。人们围过来猜谜语。
If someone thinks they have the right answer, they can pull the riddle off and go to the lantern owner to check their answer. If the answer is right, there is usually a small gift as a prize.
如果有人认为他们有正确的答案，他们可以揭开谜底并去找灯笼主人检查他们的答案。如果答案是正确的，通常会有一个小礼物作为奖品。
R 5
the earliest existing carnival in china falls on the 15th day of the first luna
中国现存最早的狂欢节在初月十五日
month its arrival also marks the end of spring
它的到来也标志着春天的结束
festival celebrations it is customary to appreciate the beauty
节日庆典是习惯性的欣赏美景
of lanterns at night during lantern festival large-scale
大型元宵节晚上的灯笼
lantern exhibitions are held throughout the country the zugong
灯展在全国各地举行
lantern show in southwest china’s sutran province and
中国西南四川省灯会和
yuyuan lantern show in east china’s shanghai are representative
华东上海豫园灯展具有代表性
lantern shows with traditional local characteristics
具有地方传统特色的花灯表演
the qinghai lantern show in nanjing easter china’s jiangsu province
南京青海灯会中国东江苏省
is one of the most famous lantern shows in china
是中国最著名的灯展之一
dating back more than 1700 years it is held annually during lantern
可追溯到 1700 多年前，它每年在灯笼期间举行
festival and runs for more than 50 days which is inscribed as one of china’s
为期50多天的节日，被列为中国的节日之一
first national intangible cultural heritages首批国家级非物质文化遗产
问题来了
作者：Harry 审稿：
Are there any other names for the Lantern Festival ？
元宵节还有其他叫法吗？
What food is eaten during the Lantern Festival?
中国人元宵节吃什么？
Why the Lantern Festival is celebrated?
为什么要庆祝元宵节？
During the Lantern Festival,Why do the Chinese People Hanging lanterns?
在元宵节，为什么中国人要挂灯笼？
What impressed you most about the Lantern Festival?
元宵节里你印象最深的的是什么？
If you were asked to spread this traditional festival，what would you do？
如果让你推广这个传统节日，你会怎么做？
