元宵節(jié)：賞燈約會，這才是真正的情人節(jié)

The Lantern Festival has been part of Chinese New Year celebrations since the Han Dynasty (206 BC- 221 AD).

自漢朝(公元前206年—公元221年)起，元宵節(jié)就已成為了春節(jié)慶祝活動的一部分了。

It is said that the holiday evolved from an ancient Chinese belief that celestial spirits could be seen flying about in the light of the first full moon of the lunar calendar. To aid them in their search for the spirits, people used torches. These torches gave way to lanterns of every shape, size and color.

據(jù)說，元宵節(jié)由古代中國的一個傳說演化而來，傳言每至農(nóng)歷第一個月圓之夜，便可看到天上飛動的神靈。為了更容易尋找神靈，人們都會用火把照明，而這些火把也逐漸被形狀、大小、顏色各異的燈籠所取代。

Despite the fact that most Chinese dynasties had curfews during the night, all the people were allowed to stay out on the days around the Lantern Festival. The Chinese women, who had to stay indoors for most of their lives, were permitted to admire the lanterns and the full moon on the day as well.

中國古代的大多數(shù)朝代都在夜晚實行宵禁，但是在元宵節(jié)前后那幾天，允許人們在外流連。古代中國女性一生大部分時間都深居閨中，在元宵節(jié)之夜她們也獲準可以出門賞燈賞月。

Therefore, it was almost the only time for young men and women to meet with each other and fall in love, according to experts. 因此，元宵節(jié)是青年男女可以相見并相戀的唯一機會。

The other evidence of the Lantern Festival being Chinese Valentine’s Day is recorded in Chinese literature. In the thousands of ancient poems passed on from the Tang and Song dynasties, many depicted ardent love for their partners. 元宵節(jié)是中國情人節(jié)的另一個證明記錄在中國的文學(xué)作品中。唐宋時期數(shù)千首古詩中，很多都描述對伴侶的深情。

Part of the lantern festival tradition involves a game to guess riddles attached to the lanterns. In the old days the riddles were literary allusions to the Chinese classics and so were mainly the preserve of the educated classes.

元宵節(jié)傳統(tǒng)習俗中有猜燈謎的游戲。在過去，這些謎語大多與中國文學(xué)典故有關(guān)，所以猜燈謎以前多為知識份子的“領(lǐng)地”。

Like most Chinese festivals, the Lantern Festival has its own special food, called "yuanxiao" or "tangyuan". These are round, glutinous rice dumplings with sweet or saly fillings. The dumplings are said to symbolize both the first full moon and family unity and completeness.

與大多數(shù)中國節(jié)日一樣，元宵節(jié)同樣有自己的特色小吃，稱為“元宵”或“湯圓”。元宵外形圓圓的，外皮由糯米制成，內(nèi)餡或甜或咸。人們都說湯圓有兩個象征意義，一為農(nóng)歷的第一個滿月，二為家庭團聚圓滿。

Stilt-walking, drumming and dragon and lion dancing are all traditional forms of festival entertainment. In Asia, it is not uncommon to see processions of hundred-foot long dragons, lit with flashing eyes and luminous bodies, accompanied by pounding drums, cymbals and brass instruments.

踩高蹺，敲鼓和舞龍舞獅都是一些傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日的娛樂活動。在亞洲，人們經(jīng)常能看到這樣的場景：數(shù)百英尺的長龍，閃閃發(fā)光的眼睛和亮晶晶的身軀，周圍還有敲鑼打鼓、吹奏銅管樂器的隊伍。

Today, the connotation of love in the festival has been almost lost, as young couples could date whenever they want and women are no longer confined indoors. But the lantern shows remain the focus of the festival.

如今，元宵節(jié)中跟愛情有關(guān)的含義已經(jīng)消失殆盡，女性不再深居簡出，年輕的情侶們隨時可以約會。不過，燈展依舊是元宵節(jié)的重頭戲。