一年一度的元宵節，正是花好月圓時。觀看節目歡度元宵的時候，不妨雙語瞭解一下元宵節背後的神話傳說。如果你能把這些英語表達應用到日常交流、課堂討論、寫作及各類英語考試中，那簡直是酷斃了！
Discover the myths and legends behind the Lantern Festival
探索元宵節背後的神話傳說
The Lantern Festival arrives on the 15th day of Zhengyue， the first month of the Chinese lunar year， which is February 26 this year。
中國農曆正月初十五是元宵節，今年是在2月26日那天。
Lighting lanterns， solving riddles， setting off fireworks， eating Tangyuan and enjoying family time are all traditional Lantern Festival activities。 But do you know how they began？
點燈籠、猜燈謎、放焰火、吃湯圓、享受家庭時光都是傳統的元宵節活動。但是你知道他們是怎麼開始的嗎？
Emperor Ming and the Buddhist monks
明帝與佛教僧侶
Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty heard that on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar year， monks would look at sarira and light lanterns to show respect for Buddha。
東漢明帝聽說，農曆正月十五，僧侶們要看舍利，點上燈籠，以示對佛祖的尊敬。
The emperor then ordered that people of all social classes should hang lanterns that evening。
明帝便下令社會各階層人們當晚都要掛燈籠。
The activity gradually turned into grand festival event， and spread from the Central Plain where the capital was located to all areas in China。
這項活動逐漸演變成盛大的節日活動，並從首都所在的中原地區傳播到全國各地。
The Jade Emperor and a fairy Crane
玉皇大帝與仙鶴
The stories say that a long time ago， fairy crane got lost on Earth and was killed by a hunter who was ignorant of the birth’s origin。 In the agrarian age， it was normal for villagers to kill wild beasts to protect humans and their property。
傳說很久以前，仙鶴在地球上迷路了，被一個不知道仙鶴來源的獵人殺死了。在農耕時代，村民為了保護人和財產而捕殺野獸是很正常的。
However， the Jade Emperor， the ruler of heaven and the owner of the crane， became angry and decided to punish the man‘s world by setting it on fire。 But the emperor’s daughter felt sympathetic and informed the villagers of the looming disasters。
然而，玉皇大帝—天界的統治者，也是仙鶴的主人，勃然大怒，並決定透過放火來懲罰人類世界。但玉皇大帝的女兒同情人界，通知村民們迫在眉睫的災難。
The villagers lit lanterns and set off fireworks and firecrackers from the 14th to the 16th of the first lunar month。 Looking from afar， the Jade Emperor thought the village was already burning and the village was spared。
農曆正月十四至十六，村民們點燃燈籠，燃放煙花爆竹。玉皇大帝遠遠望去，以為村子已經燒光了。就這樣，村子倖免於難。
The tradition has lived on ever since。
這些傳統一直延續至今。
Scholar-official Dongfang Shuo and maid Yuan Xiao。
士大夫東方朔和侍女元宵
Dongfang Shuo was a scholar-official and court jester during the Han Dynasty。 Once in a royal palace， he encountered a maid who was about to commit suicide because of homesickness。 He saved her and promised to help her reunite with her family。
東方朔是漢代計程車大夫和宮廷弄臣。有一次他在皇宮裡遇到了一個因思鄉欲自殺的女傭。他救了她，並答應幫助她與家人團聚。
One day， Dongfang set up a fortune-teller stall on the street， and people crowded in， begging to heal their fortune。 Surprisingly， everyone got the same prediction - a disastrous fire would burn down the city。 People panicked and asked Dongfang for help。 He replied that they could consult a fairy in red who was sent to burn the city on the 13th of the month。
有一天，東方朔在街上擺了一個算命的攤位。人們圍了上來，乞求為他們改運。令人驚訝的是，每個人都得到了同樣的預測——一場災難性的火災將燒燬這座城市。人們驚慌失措，向東方朔求助。他回答說，他們可以諮詢一位紅衣仙女，她本月13日會被派去燒燬這座城市。
When a fairy， who was actually Yuan Xiao， arrived， people begged her for mercy。 She left a decree from the God of Fire and directed the people to ask the emperor for help。
當一個仙女（實際上是元宵）來到時，人們乞求她的憐憫。她留下火神的命令，並引導人民向皇帝求助。
The people brought the decree to the emperor。 Accepting the advice of Dongfang， the emperor gave an order： In the palace， Yuan Xiao should make Tangyuan， a sweet ball-shaped dumpling made with glutinous rice， to worship the God of Fire， since the dessert was the God’s favorite， and each household should do the same。
人們把火神之令帶給了皇帝。皇帝接受了東方的勸告，下令：在皇宮裡，侍女元宵必須用糯米做成甜圓球形的湯圓來祭拜火神，因為甜點是天神最愛的美食，每家每戶都必須這樣做。
Also， lanterns should be lit everywhere and fireworks should be set off across the city。 Residents living outside the capital should come in for a gathering。 The fireworks， lanterns and firecrackers were supposed to convince the God of Fire that the city was already burning， thus saving the residence from doom。
此外，各地都應點燈籠，並在全市燃放煙花爆竹。住在首都以外的居民要來參加聚會。燃放煙花、燈籠和鞭炮是為了讓火神相信這座城市已經在燃燒，從而使這座城市免遭厄運。
On the 15th， Yuan Xiao reunited with her family in the city。 The city was spared from any disaster and traditions have continued。 Because Yuan Xiao is known as a skilled Tangyuan maker， the Lantern Festival is also called Yuan Xiao festival。
15日，侍女元宵在城裡與家人團聚。這座城市沒有遭受任何災難，傳統仍在延續。由於人們認為元宵擅長做湯圓，燈籠節也被稱為元宵節。
