2012大学英语六级词汇之元宵历史

会计考友

The 15th day of the 1st lunar month is the Chinese Lantern Festival because the first lunar month is called yuan-month and in the ancient times people called night Xiao. The 15th day is the first night to see a full moon. So the day is also called Yuan Xiao Festival in China.  
  
% w" ?  c" p0 x9 S# K* L( @   阴历第一个月的第十五天是中国传统的元宵节，因为在古代中国夏朝，人们称阴历的第一月叫“元月”，夜晚叫“宵”，这个月的第十五天能看到一年中的第一个满月，所以这一天在中国也叫元宵节。   
   According to the Chinese tradition, at the very beginning of a new year, when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. At this time, people will try to solve the puzzles on the lanterns and eat yuanxiao (glutinous rice ball) and get all their families united in the joyful atmosphere.
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7 P  x% q& h  L/ Q4 O, m  根据中国传统，在新年伊始，满月当空的时候，全家人会聚在一起观赏五颜六色绚烂的灯笼，竞猜灯笼上的字谜，还有品尝糯米做成的美味元宵。
  v. ]; ~  D0 o    In Sui Dynasty (about in the sixth century), Emperor Yangdi invited envoys from other countries to China to see the colorful lighted lanterns and enjoy the gala performances.
  
   早在公元6世纪隋炀帝就在元宵节广邀各国使节在观赏美丽的灯笼和精彩的表演。  
6 _) r, d- R! R) |: v9 J+ m    By the beginning of the Tang Dynasty in the seventh century, the lantern displays would last three days. The emperor also lifted the curfew, allowing the people to enjoy the festive lanterns day and night. It is not difficult to find Chinese poems which describe this happy scene.
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  公元7世纪唐初时民间连续三天庆祝元宵节，皇帝也取消这三天的宵禁令，允许人们通宵达旦地尽情享受节日，许多唐诗都描述过此时的胜景。  
   In the Song Dynasty, the festival was celebrated for five days and the activities began to spread to many of the big cities in China. Colorful glass and even jade were used to make lanterns, with figures from folk tales painted on the lanterns.
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   至宋朝，元宵节延续到五天，并传播到中国的其他大城市，元宵节灯笼的制作也日趋精美，甚至采用了五彩斑斓琉璃和贵重的玉石，上绘有各色传说中的人物。   
" V8 y6 D9 ?8 n   However, the largest Lantern Festival celebration took place in the early part of the 15th century. The festivities continued for ten days. Emperor Chengzu had the downtown area set aside as a center for displaying the lanterns. Even today, there is a place in Beijing called Dengshikou. In Chinese, Deng means lantern and Shi is market. The area became a market where lanterns were sold during the day. In the evening, the local people would go there to see the beautiful lighted lanterns on display.
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  至明朝，全国都开始庆祝元宵节，节日也达到了10日之长，明成祖还特意下令在京城专设置专地供元宵节灯展之用，直至今天，北京还保留着“灯市口”这个地名，因为在汉语中，“灯”意为“灯笼”，而“市”意为“市场”。灯市口也变成了专门出售灯笼的地方，许多老百姓都会去观赏那些美丽的灯笼。   
   Today, the displaying of lanterns is still a big event on the 15th day of the first lunar month throughout China. People enjoy the brightly lit night. Chengdu in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, for example, holds a lantern fair each year in the Cultural Park. During the Lantern Festival, the park is literally an ocean of lanterns! Many new designs attract countless visitors. The most eye-catching lantern is the Dragon Pole. This is a lantern in the shape of a golden dragon, spiraling up a 27-meter -high pole, spewing fireworks from its mouth. It is quite an impressive sight!
  
/ @% H  x4 s  a- G5 u: u  现在，灯展也是中国元宵节的一个重要元素，人们的争相观赏美丽的花灯。例如，在中国西南的四川省成都市每年都会在文化公园举行灯展，成千上万的人慕名而来。
! _3 X3 Z" |4 a- U% n7 |新颖的灯笼吸引了无数的游客，其中最令人瞩目的非“龙柱”莫属，“龙柱”是一个金黄色龙型的巨大灯笼，龙身盘旋在27米高的柱子上，口吐火焰，非常壮观。  
  
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envoy   n.使节，全民公投gala       n.庆祝，节日
curfew  n.宵禁令folk tales   民间故事，传说
eye-catching    引人注目的，耀眼的spiral    v.盘旋，漩涡
spew    v.喷涌，吐出   glutinous    n.粘，粘性的，胶状的
puzzle   n.字谜，谜语，难题