Lantern Festival, the earliest existing carnival in China, falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Its arrival also marks the end of Spring Festival celebrations.

元宵节，中国人的狂欢节，是在农历的正月十五。它的到来也预示着春节庆祝活动的结束。

It is customary to appreciate the beauty of Lanterns at night during Lantern Festival. Large scale lantern exhibitions are held throughout the country.

元宵节素有热闹喜庆的观灯习俗。全国各地会举办大型的花灯展览活动。



The Zigong Lantern Show in Southwest China's Sichuan province and Yuyuan Lantern Show in East China's Shanghai are representative lantern shows with traditional local characteristics.

中国西南部四川省的自贡灯会，上海豫园元宵灯会等都是极具传统性和地方特色的灯会。

The Qinhuai Lantern Show in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, is one of the most famous lantern shows in China, dating back more than 1,700 hundred years. It is held annually during Lantern Festival and runs for more than 50 days which is inscribed as one of China's first national intangible cultural heritages. It is also the longest running, most attended and grandest lantern show in China.

中国东部江苏省南京市的秦淮灯会是中国最著名的灯会之一， 已有1700多年历史。共持续50多天，是中国首批国家级非物质文化遗产。也是中国持续时间最长，参与人数最多，规模最大的民俗灯会。

Gu Yeliang, a native of Nanjing, is an inheritor of Qinhuai Lantern making, a national intangible cultural heritage. He began to make lanterns at the age of eight, over the past forty years, he has traveled to 47 countries and sent the art of Qinhuai lanterns to foreign skies.

顾业亮，南京本地人，是秦淮灯彩国家级非物质文化遗产代表性传承人。他8岁开始做灯，40多年来， 他走遍47个国家，将以秦淮彩灯为代表的中国灯艺送上了异国的天空。

With increasing number of Chinese living abroad, the world is gaining interest and accepting Chinese culture. Lantern shows are held every year in many parts of the world to celebrate Lantern Festival. To date, Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand, has successfully hosted 20 Lantern Festival shows.

随着海外华人数量的增加，世界也越来越了解和接受中国文化。在海外很多城市，每年也都举办灯会庆祝元宵佳节。至今，奥克兰，新西兰第一大城市，已成功举办20届元宵灯会。

There also regional differences in China's lantern art culture.

中国的灯艺文化也存在着地域差异。

Lanterns with lit candles are signatures of the South. In Northeast China, Lantern Festival in Harbin, HeilongJiang province, boasts a one-of-a-kind scenery. Glittering and translucent ice sculpture in different shapes create a fairytale of crystallized reflections of color and light.

花灯是南方的标志。在中国东北，黑龙江省哈尔滨市的元宵节拥有独一无二的风景。晶莹剔透，造型各异的冰雕，在炫彩灯光的映射下营造出一个冰雪童话世界。



In addition to viewing lanterns, there is another custom of Lantern Festival that cannot be missed, eating tangyuan, or glutinous rice balls.

除了观灯之外，元宵节还有一项习俗不能错过，那就是吃汤圆或者元宵。

The fillings can be sweet such sesame or jujube paste or savory, with minced meat or vegetables. These sweet and round delicacies are molded from glutinous rice flour, symbolizing wholesomeness of family.

馅料可以是甜的，比如芝麻或枣泥，也可以加肉末或蔬菜。糯米粉揉成圆圆的团子，象征家庭圆满。



Sometimes people will pick out a tangyuan and put in a special "stuffing", such as a coin. The one lucky person who bites onto that coin is said to be blessed with good luck in the new year.

有时候人们还会在一锅汤圆里挑出一颗放入特殊的“馅儿”，如一枚消毒过的硬币， 预示着吃到的人将在新的一年里财运红旺。

Lantern Festival is the last day of Chinese New Year celebrations. For those working or studying away from home, it is time to bid farewell to their families and set out on a journey in a brand new year.

元宵节是春节的最后一天。对于在外工作和求学的游子来说，他们即将惜别团聚，满怀乡思，再次踏上新一年的旅程。

                                                                                                                         素材来源：ChinaDaily