“火树银花合，星桥铁锁开。灯树千光照，明月逐人来。”如果说“腊八”拉开了过年的序幕，那么过完“元宵节”，“年”也就算过完了。
view of the full moon against an ancient building in shaoxing, east china's zhejiang province. [photo/ic]
“元宵节”（the lantern festival），又称灯节、元夕、上元节，标志性时间在一年的第一个月圆之夜——正月十五。几千年以来，人们形成了赏花灯、猜灯谜、放烟花、吃汤圆等传统元宵节习俗。这一天，合家团圆，其乐融融。
那下面我们就来看下这些传统习俗的英文表达。
猜灯谜
guessing lantern riddles
riddles written on the lanterns can inspire wisdom and cater to the festival atmosphere, so many people like it very much. guessing the answers to lantern riddles gradually became an indispensable part of the lantern festival.灯谜可以激发人们的智慧，又烘托节日氛围，深受民众喜爱。猜灯谜渐渐成为元宵节不可缺少的一部分。
in chinese lantern festival, people enjoy eating yuanxiao or tangyuan, small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour, as one of the customs.[photo/viewstock.com]
吃元宵
eating yuanxiao
eating yuanxiao is another lantern festival tradition. yuanxiao is made of glutinous rice, either solid or stuffed. the stuffing includes bean paste, sugar, hawthorn, various kinds of fruit and so on. it can be boiled, fried or steamed.吃元宵是元宵节的另一传统习俗。元宵是用糯米做的，可以是糯米实心的，也可以夹馅儿。元宵的馅料有很多种，例如豆沙、糖心、山楂馅以及各种水果馅等。烹调方式也多样，开水煮、油炸蒸均可。
赏花灯
viewing lanterns
it is tradition that people hang lanterns everywhere, in their house or in the streets. the lanterns depict various characters, like flying birds, leaping fishes, and shining fireworks, showing an atmosphere of joy. people will come out and appreciate the beautiful scene.元宵节那天，人们在家中或者街道上挂满花灯。花灯琳琅满目，多种多样，上面画着飞鸟、鲤鱼、烟花等，处处洋溢着欢乐的氛围。人们会结伴出游欣赏花灯美景。
古代的情人节
元宵节可不只是汤圆和花灯的节日，在古代，这还是一个浪漫的节日，是古代的“情人节”。
in ancient times, young women, especially daughters of eminent families, hardly stepped out their houses. but during the lantern festival, it was a tradition that all people, including those young women, come out for lantern shows.
在古代，年轻女子，尤其大家闺秀，几乎都大门不出，二门不迈。但因元宵节的传统，人人都会都外出赏花灯。
watching lanterns at night was just an opportunity for young women to find a man whose appearance appealed to them. another activity, guessing the answers to lantern riddles, gives young people a chance to interact with each other and know more about each other. for thousands of years, there have been numerous love stories originating during the lantern festival.
元宵节夜晚赏灯，为年轻姑娘们提供寻找心仪男子的契机。另外，猜灯谜也让年轻人彼此互动，进一步地了解对方。几千年来，元宵佳节上演了许多爱情故事。
南宋词人辛弃疾《青玉案·元夕》中就有一句描写元宵节浪漫邂逅的名句：
众里寻他千百度，
蓦然回首，
那人却在，
灯火阑珊处。
but in the crowd once and again
i look for her in vain.
when all at once i turn my head,
i find her there where lantern light is dimly shed.
编辑：左卓
参考资料：http://www.ztwang.com/news/15599.html