《林貝卡》
Rebecca Lin
元夕 影永冰燈 唐順之
正憐火樹千春妍，忽見清輝映月闌。
出海鮫珠猶帶水，滿堂羅袖欲生寒。
燭花不礙空中影，暈氣疑從月裏看。
為語東風暫相借，來宵還得盡餘歡。
元夕 無月 丘逢甲
三年此夕無月光，明月多應在故鄉。
欲向海天尋月去，五更飛夢渡鯤洋。
生查子 元夕 歐陽修
去年元夜時，花市燈如晝。
月到柳梢頭，人約黃昏後。
今年元夜時，月與燈依舊。
不見去年人，淚濕春衫袖。
元夕 宋 辛棄疾
東風夜放花千樹，更吹落，星如雨。
寶馬雕車香滿路，鳳蕭聲動，壺光轉，一夜魚龍舞 。
蛾兒雪柳黃金縷，笑語盈盈暗香去。
眾裏尋他千百度，驀然回首， 那人卻在，火闌珊處。
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.
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.
History
Until the Sui Dynasty in the sixth century, Emperor Yangdi invited envoys from other countries to China to see the colorful lighted lanterns and enjoy the gala（節日的，慶祝的）performances.
By the beginning of the Tang Dynasty in the seventh century, the lantern displays would last three days. The emperor also lifted the curfew（宵禁令）, allowing the people to enjoy the festive lanterns day and night. It is not difficult to find Chinese poems which describe this happy scene.
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.
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.
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.
Origin
There are many different beliefs about the origin of the Lantern Festival. But one thing for sure is that it had something to do with religious worship.
One legend tells us that it was a time to worship Taiyi, the God of Heaven in ancient times. The belief was that the God of Heaven controlled the destiny of the human world. He had sixteen dragons at his beck and call and he decided when to inflict drought, storms, famine or pestilence（瘟疫）upon human beings. Beginning with Qinshihuang, the first emperor to unite the country, all subsequent emperors ordered splendid ceremonies each year. The emperor would ask Taiyi to bring favorable weather and good health to him and his people. Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty directed special attention to this event. In 104 BC, he proclaimed it one of the most important celebrations and the ceremony would last throughout the night.
Another legend associates the Lantern Festival with Taoism. Tianguan is the Taoist god responsible for good fortune. His birthday falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is said that Tianguan likes all types of entertainment. So followers prepare various kinds of activities during which they pray for good fortune.
The third story about the origin of the festival is like this. Buddhism first entered China during the reign of Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han Dynasty. That was in the first century. However, it did not exert any great influence among the Chinese people. one day, Emperor Mingdi had a dream about a gold man in his palace. At the very moment when he was about to ask the mysterious figure who he was, the gold man suddenly rose to the sky and disappeared in the west. The next day, Emperor Mingdi sent a scholar to India on a pilgrimage（朝聖）to locate Buddhist scriptures. After journeying thousands of miles, the scholar finally returned with the scriptures. Emperor Mingdi ordered that a temple be built to house a statue of Buddha and serve as a repository for the scriptures. Followers believe that the power of Buddha can dispel darkness. So Emperor Mingdi ordered his subjects to display lighted lanterns during what was to become the Lantern Festival.
Yuanxiao
Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns, another important part of the Lantern Festival, or Yuanxiao Festival is eating small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. We call these balls Yuanxiao or Tangyuan. Obviously, they get the name from the festival itself. It is said that the custom of eating Yuanxiao originated during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth centuty, then became popular during the Tang and Song periods.
The fillings inside the dumplings or Yuanxiao are either sweet or salty. Sweet fillings are made of sugar,Walnuts（胡桃）, sesame,osmanthus flowers（桂花）, rose petals, sweetened tangerine peel, bean paste, or jujube paste（棗泥）. A single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling . The salty variety is filled with minced meat, vegetables or a mixture.
The way to make Yuanxiao also varies between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in southern provinces is to shape the dough of rice flour into balls, make a hole, insert the filling, then close the hole and smooth out the dumpling by rolling it between your hands. In North China, sweet or nonmeat stuffing is the usual ingredient. The fillings are pressed into hardened cores, dipped lightly in water and rolled in a flat basket containing dry glutinous rice flour. A layer of the flour sticks to the filling, which is then again dipped in water and rolled a second time in the rice flour. And so it goes, like rolling a snowball, until the dumpling is the desired size.
The custom of eating Yuanxiao dumplings remains. This tradition encourages both old and new stores to promote their Yuanxiao products. They all try their best to improve the taste and quality of the dumplings to attract more customers. (Source: Internet)
Please click to enjoy: Spring Festival
謝謝。
也祝你和你的家人春節快樂，平安幸福，
Rebecca
祝Rebecca和孩子們、一家人都歡歡喜喜過個年。
元宵節也是一個浪漫的節日，元宵燈會在封建的傳統社會中，也給未婚男女相識提供了一個機會，傳統社會的年輕女孩不允許出外自由活動，但是過節卻可以結伴出來遊玩，元宵節賞花燈正好是一個交誼的機會，未婚男女借著賞花燈也順便可以為自己物色對象。元宵燈節期間，又是男女青年與情人相會的時機。唐代的燈市還出現樂舞百戲表演，成千上萬的宮女，民間少女在燈火下載歌載舞，叫做行歌、踏歌。
歐陽修(生查子)雲：去年元夜時，花市燈如書；月上柳梢頭，人約黃昏後。 辛棄疾(青玉案)寫道：眾裏尋它千百度，暮然回首，那人卻在燈火闌珊處。就是描述元宵夜的情境，而傳統戲曲陳三和五娘是在元宵節賞花燈進相遇而一見鍾情，樂昌公文與徐德言在元宵夜破鏡重圓，《春燈謎》中宇文彥和影娘在元宵訂情。所以說元宵節也是中國的“情人節”。
（摘自網絡)
元宵節是中國的傳統節日，早在2000多年前的西漢就有了，元宵賞燈始於東漢明帝時期，明帝提倡佛教，聽說佛教有正月十五日僧人觀佛舍利，點燈敬佛的做法，就命令這一天夜晚在皇宮和寺廟裏點燈敬佛，令士族庶民都掛燈。以後這種佛教禮儀節日逐漸形成民間盛大的節日。該節經曆了由宮廷到民間，由中原到全國的發展過程。
在漢文帝時，已下令將正月十五定為元宵節。漢武帝時，“太一神”的祭祀活動定在正月十五。（太一：主宰宇宙一切之神）。司馬遷創建“太初曆”時，就已將元宵節確定為重大節日。
元宵節的節期與節俗活動，是隨曆史的發展而延長、擴展的。就節期長短而言，漢代才一天，到唐代已為三天，宋代則長達五天，明代更是自初八點燈，一直到正月十七的夜裏才落燈，整整十天。與春節相接，白晝為市，熱鬧非凡，夜間燃燈，蔚為壯觀。特別是那精巧、多彩的燈火，更使其成為春節期間娛樂活動的高潮。至清代，又增加了舞龍、舞獅、跑旱船、踩高蹺、扭秧歌等“百戲”內容，隻是節期縮短為四到五天。
(摘自網絡）
專輯：中國禮儀慶典大全
http://space.wenxuecity.com/media/1201991427.mp3