HSK 3 · Article · 315 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-the-lantern-festival

元宵节：看灯、猜谜语

What is the Lantern Festival?

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在zài中国zhōngguó，过guò春节chūnjié不是búshì一yì天tiān，是shì很hěn多duō天tiān。那么nàme，春节chūnjié什么shénme时候shíhou才cái算suàn过guò完wán呢ne？很hěn多duō人rén会huì说shuō：“过guò了le正月十五zhēngyuè-shíwǔ，年nián才cái算suàn过guò完wán了le。”

正月十五zhēngyuè-shíwǔ是shì元宵节yuánxiāojié。这天zhètiān晚上wǎnshang的de月亮yuèliang，是shì新年xīnnián里第一dìyī个gè圆圆yuányuán的de月亮yuèliang。街jiē上shàng和hé公园gōngyuán里也yě都dōu是shì灯dēng：红色hóngsè的de，黄色huángsè的de，有的yǒude像xiàng花huā，有的yǒude像xiàng鱼yú，还有háiyǒu的de像xiàng今年jīnnián的de动物dòngwù。所以suóyǐ，它tā也yě叫jiào“灯节dēngjié”。

很hěn多duō灯dēng下边xiàbian还有háiyǒu一yì张zhāng小xiǎo纸条zhǐtiáo，上边shàngbian写xiě着zhe一yí个gè谜语míyǔ。猜cāi对duì了le，常常chángcháng还hái可以kéyǐ拿到nádào一个yígè小xiǎo礼物lǐwù。

我们wǒmen也yě来lái猜cāi一个yígè吧ba。小xiǎo纸条zhǐtiáo上shàng写xiě着zhe：“大口dàkǒu吃chī小xiǎo口kǒu。”这zhè是shì一yí个gè字zì。你nǐ知道zhīdào是shì什么shénme字zì吗ma？

是shì“回huí”。你nǐ看kàn，一个yígè大dà“口kǒu”里边lǐbian，有yǒu一个yígè小xiǎo“口kǒu”，这zhè是shì“回huí”字zì。

看kàn完wán了le灯dēng，还hái要yào吃chī元宵yuánxiāo。它tā是shì用yòng米mǐ做zuò的de小xiǎo圆球yuánqiú，里边lǐbian常常chángcháng是shì甜tián的de。在zài北方běifāng，很hěn多duō人rén叫jiào它tā“元宵yuánxiāo”；在zài南方nánfāng，很hěn多duō人rén叫jiào它tā“汤圆tāngyuán”。两liǎng个gè名字míngzi，做法zuòfǎ不太bútài一样yíyàng，可是kěshì吃chī的de时候shíhou，味道wèidao差不多chàbuduō。圆圆yuányuán的de样子yàngzi，就jiù像xiàng一家人yìjiārén在zài一起yìqǐ。

所以suóyǐ，元宵节yuánxiāojié的de晚上wǎnshang有yǒu三sān件jiàn事shì要yào做zuò：看kàn灯dēng、猜谜cāimí、吃chī元宵yuánxiāo。谜语míyǔ猜不出来cāibu-chūlái也yě没关系méiguānxi，元宵yuánxiāo还是háishi可以kéyǐ吃chī的de。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
过	guò	(particle) marks a past experience: have ever
红色	hóngsè	red
花	huā	flower; blossom
鱼	yú	fish
一起	yìqǐ	together
月亮	yuèliang	the moon
新年	xīnnián	New Year
街	jiē	street
公园	gōngyuán	park
灯	dēng	lamp; light
黄色	huángsè	yellow
像	xiàng	like; as

English (for the teacher)

In China, Spring Festival isn’t one day; it’s many days. So when is it really over? Many people will tell you: “Once the fifteenth of the first month has passed, New Year is over.”

The fifteenth of the first month is the Lantern Festival. The moon that night is the first full moon of the new year. The streets and parks are full of lanterns, red and yellow, some shaped like flowers, some like fish, some like this year’s zodiac animal. That’s why it is also called the Lantern Festival.

Under many of the lanterns hangs a little slip of paper with a riddle on it. Get it right, and you can often take home a little prize.

Let’s try one too. The slip says: “A big mouth eats a small mouth.” It’s a single character. Do you know which one?

It’s 回. Look: a big 口 (mouth) with a small 口 inside it: that’s the character 回.

After the lanterns, there are yuanxiao to eat. Yuanxiao are little round balls made from rice, usually sweet inside. In the north, many people call them yuanxiao; in the south, many call them tangyuan. Two names, made a little differently, but when you eat them they taste about the same. Their round shape is like a whole family together.

So on the night of the Lantern Festival there are three things to do: look at the lanterns, guess riddles, eat yuanxiao. If you can’t solve a riddle, don’t worry: you can still eat the yuanxiao.