中國傳統文化 第19期:元宵節
Yuanxiao Festival
元宵節
Yuanxiao Festival is on the 15th day of the first Chinese lunar month.
元宵節的時間是農曆的正月十五。
It is part of and the last day of the Spring Festival.
這一天是春節的最後一天。
In the old days, people began preparing for the Spring Festival about 20 days before.
在古代，人們提前大約二十天爲春節作準備。
However the Yuanxiao Festival marks the end of the New Year celebrations.
而元宵節的到來標誌着春節慶祝活動的結束。
And after the Yuanxiao Festival, everything returns to normal.
元宵節之後，一切生活又恢復正常。
The Yuanxiao Festival is also known as the Lantern Festival.
元宵節還稱“燈節”。
Yuan literarily means “First” while “Xiao” refers to “night”.
“元”代表第一，古人稱“正月”爲“元月”，“夜”也稱 “宵”。
Yuanxiao is the first time when people see the full moon in the New Year.
“元宵”就是指新的一年中第一個見到圓滿的明月的晚上。
It is traditionally a time for family reunion.
人們往往在這一天闔家團圓。
The most prominent activity of the Yuanxiao Festival is the display of all types of beautiful lanterns.
元宵節最有代表性的活動就是觀花燈。
So the occasion is also called the Lantern Festival.
所以元宵節也稱爲燈節。
There are many beliefs about the origin of the Lantern Festival. But one thing for sure is that it had something to do with religious worship.
關於元宵燈節的由來，有許多說法：
有人說元宵節的來歷與祭祀“泰一神”有關。
Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty directed special attention to this event.
史載漢武帝時，漢室要祭祀一位 叫“太乙”的神明。
The belief was that the God of Heaven controlled the destiny of the human world.
據說他的權力很大。
It was he who decided when to inflict drought, storms, famine or pestilence upon human beings.
人間的風雨、乾旱、饑饉、瘟疫都由他掌管。
In 104 BC, he proclaimed it one of the most important celebrations, and the ceremony would last throughout the night.
Another legend associated with the Lantern Festival is Taoism.
也有人說元宵節的來歷與道教有關。
Tian-guan was the Taoist god responsible for good fortune. His birthday falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is said that Tian-guan liked all types of entertainment. So his followers prepared various kinds of activities during which they prayed for good fortune.
到了唐朝，崇尚老莊,奉道教爲國教，爲祝賀道教的“上元賜福天官紫微大帝”在正月十五的誕辰而舉行各種各樣的祝節活動，至此，元宵節又添上了道教色彩。
The third story about the origin of the festival goes like this：
第三種說法是和佛教相關。
One day，Emperor Mingdi had a dream about a gold man in his palace.
東漢時期，明帝有一天突然夢見大殿裏出現了一個不速之客。
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.
正要尋問此人身份時，那人卻飄至空中消失於西方。
The next day Emperor Mingdi sent a scholar to India on a pilgrimage to locate Buddhist scriptures.
翌日，明帝即派人前往印度朝聖求佛經。
So Emperor Mingdi ordered his subjects to display lighted lanterns during what was to become the Lantern Festival.
後來，明帝聽說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。
The custom of lighting lanterns continued. However the lanterns would develop from simple ones to those of various color and shape. The scale of the celebration also increased greatly.
以後這種佛教禮儀節日逐漸形成民間盛大的節日。
