每年农历的正月十五日，迎来的是中国的传统节日——元宵节。元宵节主要的活动就是看灯。汉朝时期，佛教盛行。明帝听说佛教有正月十五日僧人观佛舍利点灯敬佛的做法，就命令这一天夜晚在皇宫和寺庙里点灯敬佛。以后这种佛教礼仪逐渐形成民间盛大的节日。各式各样美丽的花灯在这一天都会被悬挂,从而吸引了无数游客。猜灯谜也是元宵节的一项重要活动，花灯的主人会将谜面写在纸上，然后贴在灯笼上，将灯笼挂在门口。如果有人可以猜中，就能得到小小的礼物。

　　【翻译词汇】

　　看灯 watching lanterns 汉朝 the Han Dynasty

　　佛教 Buddhism 　明帝 Emperor Ming

　　敬佛 worship Buddha 皇宫 imperial palace

　　礼仪 ritual 盛大的 grand

　　无数的 countless 　猜灯谜 Guessing lantern riddles

　　贴 paste

　　【精彩译文】

　　The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month. Watching lanterns is this day’s important activity. Throughout the Han Dynasty, Buddhism flourished in China. Emperor Ming heard that Buddhist monks would watch sarira and light lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month. Therefore, he commanded to light lanterns in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to Buddha on this day. Later, the Buddhist ritual developed into a grand festival among common people. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung in the streets, attracting countless visitors. "Guessing lantern riddles" is an essential part of the Festival. Lantern owners write riddles on pieces of paper and paste them on the lanterns. If visitors have got solutions to the riddles, they will obtain a little gift.