元宵节特色词汇
(来源：BBC官网，地址为http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7256322.stm)
01. Lantern Festival
元宵节
02. rice dumplings/rice balls
元宵;汤圆
03. view lanterns
看花灯
04. riddle guessing games
猜谜游戏
05. stilt walking
踩高跷
【中文翻译由笔者完成，力求无“英语腔”】
Lantern Festival 元宵节
(来源：维基百科，地址为http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantern_Festival)
The Lantern Festival is a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar year in the lunar calendar marking the last day of the lunar New Year celebration. It is usually in February or March in the Gregorian calendar. As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 25), it had become a festival with great significance. During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns.
元宵节是中国的传统节日。每年的阴历一月十五日是元宵节，阳历则在二月或三月，它也是阴历新年庆祝活动的最后一天。早在西汉年间(公元前206年——公元25年)，元宵节就已经是非常重要的节日。在元宵节这一天，孩子们晚上打着纸做的灯笼到寺庙中猜灯谜。
In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, and only the emperor and noblemen had large ornate ones. In modern times, lanterns have been embellished with many complex designs. For example, lanterns are now often made in the shape of animals. The lanterns can symbolize the people letting go of their past selves and getting new ones, which they will let go of the next year. The lanterns are almost always red to symbolize good fortune.
在古时候，灯笼的制作非常简单，只有皇帝和贵族们拥有大型而华丽的灯笼。在现代社会，人们用很多复杂的设计来装饰灯笼。例如，现在人们把灯笼做成动物的形状。灯笼象征着人们送别过去的自己并迎接崭新的自己，年复一年，周而复始。灯笼基本上是红色的，用以象征好运。
In Hong Kong, it is commercialized as the Chinese equivalent of Valentine's Day. It is not to be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is sometimes also known as the "Lantern Festival" in locations such as Singapore and Malaysia.
在香港，元宵节已经被商业化，被人们当作中国的情人节。元宵节不应该和中秋节混为一谈，尽管在新加坡和马来西亚等地区，中秋节有时候被叫做“灯笼节”。
【语言点解析】
1. solve riddles on the lanterns 猜灯谜。"猜谜"还可以说成solve a puzzle或find the answer to a puzzle。
【例】know the answer to/solve a riddle 知道谜底
(来源：Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary)
【例】find the answer to/solve a puzzle 找到谜底
(来源：Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary)
2. ornate 华丽的;华美的
【例】ornate carvings in a church 教堂中华丽的雕刻饰品
(来源：Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary)
3. embellish with 用……装饰
【例】a dress embellished with lace and ribbons 有花边和饰带的连衣裙
(来源：Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary)
4. symbolize 象征
【例】The lighting of the Olympic torch symbolizes peace and friendship among the nations of the world. 奥林匹克火炬的燃烧象征着世界各国间的和平与友谊。
(来源：Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
5. commercialized 商业化的;商品化的
【例】It's a pity Christmas has become so commercialized. 圣诞节已经变得如此商业化了，这真是一大遗憾。
(来源：Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
6. equivalent 对等物;意义相同的词
【例】Is there a French word that is the exact equivalent of the English word 'home'? 法语中有没有和英语的home完全一样的对应词?
(来源：Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary)
