Also See: Continued from yesterday
So, what do people do on Lantern Festival and when is it celebrated?
Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year,
ILLUSTRATIONS: COURTESY OF EXPLORER PUBLICATIONS
marking the end of the festive season. Firecrackers are lit and lanterns are carried, usually in the shape of the Zodiac animal of that particular New Year. People eat yuansiao or tangyuan, which are balls of rice filled with an assortment of fillings. I love the ones filled with ground peanut powder, while my children love the ones filled with black sesame paste.
One other activity besides eating yuansiao is to make up riddles for others to guess. This activity is recorded as having started during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Those who guess the correct answer to the riddle are to bring their answer to the one who thought of the riddle and a little gift would then be bestowed upon the ones with the right answer.
Besides the guessing of riddles, in time past, it was also the one night that young single ladies could go out, chaperoned by someone, of course, in order to meet eligible bachelors. The evening of the Lantern Festival must have been filled with laughter and excitement with the streets lit by the brightly decorated lanterns and crowded with throngs of people.
ILLUSTRATIONS: COURTESY OF EXPLORER PUBLICATIONS
So, how do you celebrate Lantern Festival? Have you ever guessed one of those riddles correctly? Have you ever made your own lantern? Or better yet, have you ever met someone special on the evening of the Lantern Festival? Although Lantern Festival marks the end of the Lunar New Year holiday, it is still a celebration that brings a sense of joy and excitement.
Also See: 接續昨日
那麼，人們在元宵節做什麼呢？何時慶祝它呢？
ILLUSTRATIONS: COURTESY OF EXPLORER PUBLICATIONS
人們在農曆新年的第十五天慶祝元宵節，代表年節的結束。民眾會施放鞭炮和提燈籠，而燈籠的形狀通常是當年的生肖代表。人們還會吃元宵或湯圓，就是裡面填有各種不同餡料的米球。我最愛有花生粉的內餡，我的小孩則愛黑芝麻的。
除了吃元宵以外，還有猜燈謎活動。根據記載，這項活動始於宋朝（960-1279），猜謎語的人要帶著解答到出謎語的人那裡，然後有正確答案的人可獲贈小禮物。
除了猜謎語之外，在過去，當晚也是年輕單身女子可以在他人伴護下，出門去認識合意的單身漢的機會。元宵節晚上必定是充滿歡笑和興奮，街道被漂亮的燈籠裝點的美輪美奐，並擠滿人群。
所以，你是如何慶祝元宵節呢？你曾猜對燈謎嗎？你曾自己製作過燈籠嗎？或更好的是，你曾在元宵節晚上遇到特別的人嗎？雖然元宵節代表著農曆春節的結束，它仍是一個帶來歡笑和興奮的慶典。
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