The Yuanxiao Festival is on the 15th day of the first Chinese lunar month. It is closely related to the Spring Festival. In the old days, people began preparing for the Spring Festival about 20 days before. However, the Yuanxiao Festival marks the end of the New Year celebrations. And after the Yuanxiao Festival, everything returns to normal.

農歷正月十五日是元宵節，緊隨春節之后。古時候，人們提前二十天為“春節”做準備，然而，元宵節為春節畫上了句號，元宵之后，一切歸于平常。

Yuan literally means first, while Xiao refers to night. Yuanxiao is the first time when we see the full moon in the New year. It is traditionally a time for family reunion. The most prominent activity of the Yuanxiao Festival is the display of all types of beautiful lanterns. So the occasion is also called the Lantern Festival.

“元”是第一的意思，“霄”指夜晚。元宵就是新年首個夜晚，元宵節是家庭團聚的傳統佳節，最隆重的活動就是展掛各種各樣美麗的燈籠，故此，元宵節又叫“燈節”。

There are many beliefs about the origin of the Lantern Festival. But one thing for sure is that it had something to do with religious worship.

關于元宵節的起源之說多種多樣，但是最確切的一種說它跟宗教信仰有關。

One legend tells that it was a time to worship Taiyi, the God of Heaven in ancient times. The belief was that the God of Heaven controlled the destiny of the human world. He had sixteen dragons at his back and call. It was him who decided when to inflict drought, storms, famine or pestilence upon human beings. Beginning with Qinshihuang, the first emperor united the country, all subsequent emperors ordered splendid ceremonies each year. The emperor would ask Taiyi to bring favorable weather and good health to him and to his people. Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty directed special attention to this event. In 104 BC, he proclaimed it one of the most important celebrations and the ceremony would last throughout the night.

有這樣一個傳說，元宵節是拜“太乙”神的日子，太乙是古代的天神。古人認為天神掌管著人類世界的命運，太乙手下有九條龍聽他使喚，他決定人間什么時候遭遇饑荒瘟疫之禍，什么時候受旱災水澇之苦。從統一中國的第一個皇帝秦始皇開始，每年都舉行盛大的儀式，皇帝祈求“太乙”神賜予他和臣民們風調雨順、健康長壽。漢武帝對元宵燈會特別重視，元封七年（公元前104年），他把元宵欽定為最重要的佳慶之一,慶祝儀式通宵進行。

Another legend associated with the Lantern Festival is Taoism. Tianguan is the Taoist god responsible for good fortune. His birthday falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is said that Tianguan likes all types of entertainment. So his followers prepare various kinds of activities during which they pray for good fortune.

另一個傳說認為“燈節”與道教有關。“天官”是道教的神，專管人間祥運，他出生于農歷正月十五。相傳“天官”喜樂，所以他的信徒們就準備了各種各樣的活動，祈求好運。

The third story about the origin of the festival goes like this. Buddhism first entered China during the reign of Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han Dynasty. That was in the first century. However, it did not exert any great influence among the Chinese people. One day, Emperor Mingdi had a dream about a gold man in his palace. At the very moment when he was about to ask the mysterious figure who he was. The gold man suddenly rose to the sky and disappeared in the west. The next day, Emperor Mingdi sent a scholar to India on a pilgrimage to locate Buddhist scriptures. After journeying thousands of miles, the scholar finally returned with the scriptures. Emperor Mingdi ordered that a temple be built to house a statue of Buddha and serve as a repository for the scriptures. Followers believe that the power of Buddha can dispel darkness. So Emperor Mingdi ordered his subjects to display lighted lanterns during what was to become the Lantern Festival.

還有一種傳說認為元宵節與佛教有關。東漢明帝時期，佛教進入中國，這也是佛教首次傳入中國，然而，佛教并沒有對中國人產生多大影響。一日，明帝做了個夢，夢見皇宮里有個金人，正當他準備問清這個神秘人物的身世時，金人突然升入天空，消失在西面。次日，明帝委派一位學士去印度開始了他的取經之旅，經過幾千里的長途跋涉，學士終于帶回了經卷。漢明帝下令建造一所寺廟供佛雕安身、收藏經書。佛徒們相信佛能驅走黑暗，所以漢明帝宣昭他的臣民們張燈結彩，這樣就形成了“燈節”。

The custom of lighting lanterns continued. However, the lanterns would develop from simple ones to those of various color and shape. The scale of the celebration also increased greatly.

張燈的習俗得以延續傳承，然而，燈盞由簡樸到華貴，樣式繁多，慶賀的規模也愈來愈大。

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你知道元宵節的來歷嗎？

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（來源：愛思英語 作者：胡宗鋒 編輯：Rosy）