文章转载自中国外文局公众号：

　　元宵节将至，除了吃元宵、猜灯谜，还有哪些民俗活动？今天，我们精选了中国外文局所属华语教学出版社出版的《中国民俗文化词典》插图本（英汉对照）中有关元宵节的部分内容，与您一起揭开这些民俗背后的有趣故事，感受中华文化的独特魅力。

元宵

Glutinous rice ball

(northern style)

　　中国传统节日元宵节的节令小吃，是中国历史最悠久的小吃之一。元宵的做法是将芝麻、杏仁、核桃、玫瑰、豆沙等制成馅，然后把馅块放入箩筐、筛子之类的传统容器或现代化的机器里，倒上糯米粉，不断洒水滚动或摇动，使馅料沾上糯米粉变成球状。正月十五元宵节中国北方普遍吃元宵，表示“团圆如月”一家团聚的美好愿望，中国南方习惯吃的另一种做法则叫“汤圆”。

　　Traditional snack of the Lantern Festival, and one of the oldest festival foods still prevalent throughout China. They are made of sesame seeds, almonds, walnuts, roses, bean paste, and other ingredients. The filling ingredients are divided into small cubes or rolled into balls, and then placed onto glutinous rice flour and continually sprinkled with water before being rolled into glutinous rice balls. Eating glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival is fairly widespread in the north, expressing "family reunions as consummate as the moon is round" and wishes for happy family gatherings. In southern China, it's customary for people to use different cooking techniques to produce this, which is called tangyuan.

灯会

Lantern fair

　　元宵节诸多节庆活动之一。正月十五月圆之夜，家家门口都要张挂和燃点各式各样的彩灯，同时举行观灯、赏灯、赛灯等庆祝活动，以祈阖家团圆，人寿年丰，因此“元宵节”也称“灯节”。以灯会为中心，各地形成了猜灯谜、吃元宵、走百病等富有特色的元宵节俗。

　　One of the many activities during the Lantern Festival. According to traditional customs, all homes should light and hang up all manner of colorful lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. On that night, people admire the lanterns, hold contests to determine which are the best, and engage in other such celebratory activities. These activities are a kind of wish for family unity, longevity, and prosperity. Accordingly, the festival is called the "Lantern Festival". Centered around the lantern, a number of unique customs have emerged such as guessing lantern riddles, eating glutinous rice balls, and taking long walks in the hope of dispersing disease.

秧歌

Yangge dance

　　广泛流行于中国北方地区的民间群体性舞蹈，因源于农民劳动、生活中所唱的歌而得名，有“高跷秧歌”和“地秧歌”之分。秧歌中的“丑角”活泼诙谐，深受群众喜爱。现在各地的秧歌一般以秧歌队为主要组织形态，少则数十人，多达上百人共同表演。表演者根据角色的需要，手持相应的手绢、伞等道具，在唢呐、锣鼓等吹打乐器的伴奏下尽情舞蹈。

　　A group folk dance popular in northern China. Yangge means "songs from the field" in Chinese, which tells the origin of this performing art form. There are two major types of yangge dance: one is yangge stilt dance, which is performed on stilts, and the other is ground yangge, which is performed without stilts. The role of the chou (clown) in yangge dance is vivacious and humorous, and very popular with the spectators. Most performances are organized by local yangge troupes consisting from a dozen up to a hundred dancers. Performers will dance merrily while holding handkerchiefs, umbrellas, or other props to the accompaniment of wind and percussion instruments such as suona horns, gongs and drums.

皮影戏

Chinese shadow puppetry

　　中国民间传统戏曲形式之一，傀儡戏的一种，又称“灯影戏”。艺人将驴皮或牛皮、羊皮、纸板雕镂做成各种人物形象和布景、道具。皮影人物一般高一尺左右，身有若干关节，根据动作需要安装有三五根操纵细杆。演出时，通过灯光照射，将皮影人物投影到帷幕上，艺人在幕后边操纵边唱念，“一口述说千古事，双手对打百万兵”，表演民众喜爱的神话传说、历史演义的剧目。

　　A traditional form of theatre in China using colorful silhouette figures made from leather or paper and accompanied by music and singing. The puppet figures are about thirty centimeters tall and have many movable joints. Manipulated by puppeteers using rods, the figures create the illusion of moving images illuminated from behind onto a translucent cloth screen. Shadow puppet shows depict popular myths and historical stories. Typically to begin the show, the puppeteers will chant, “A shadow play performer operates millions of soldiers and tells age-old stories with the use of only two hands.”

舞狮

Lion dance

　　中国传统舞蹈形式之一。每头狮子有两个人合作表演，一人舞头、一人舞尾，舞时配以鼓、钹、锣演奏的音乐。表演者在伴奏下装扮成狮子，做出跌扑、翻滚、跳跃、搔痒、滚绣球等形态动作。舞狮是中国元宵节、新年等节令和各种庆典期间的重要娱乐活动。狮子在中国人心中代表吉祥如意，因此人们借由舞狮来祈求五谷丰登，消除灾祸。

　　近现代舞狮有南北之分：北方狮外形与真狮相似，娇憨可爱，多以嬉戏玩耍为主；南方狮则主要为广东狮，起源于南北朝，神态矫健凶猛。

　　There are two forms of the Chinese lion dance in modern times: the Northern Lion and the Southern Lion. The Northern Lion Dance is centered on the lion's charming and lovely disposition, mainly focusing on its playful behavior. The Southern Lion Dance originates from the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), and typically depicts the Guangdong Lion, which tends to be vigorous and ferocious.

　　舞狮根据动作风格又有文武之别。文狮注重表情，动作诙谐细腻，表现狮子的温柔可爱，动作多为打滚、搔痒、舐毛、相互依偎等；武狮动作幅度大，力度强，动作多为跳跃、跌扑、腾转，充分表现狮子的勇猛威武。

　　The lion dance can also be divided into civil and martial lions according to the performance style. The civil lion emphasizes the lion's gentleness and loveliness through delicate and humorous movements, such as rolling, scratching, licking, and cuddling. The martial lion is focused on vigorous and energetic movements, aiming to fully display the might and boldness of a lion's movements, like jumping, swooping, and writhing.

　　编辑：慕悦