1、正文

The Festival of Lanterns takes place at the end of the Chinese New Year Celebration, on the fifteenth day of the first moon. Lanterns have been part of Chinese life for centuries so its not surprising to see a festival of lanterns.

People usually hang lanterns in the gardens, outside the houses, and on the boats. These lanterns are signposts to guide guests and spirits of ancestors to the Lunar celebration. After a sumptuous fifteen-day feast, these lanterns light the way for the spirits back to the world beyond.

Silk, paper and plastic lanterns vary in shape and size and are usually multi-colored. Some are in the shapes of butterflies, birds, flowers, and boats. Other are shaped like dragon, fruit and animal symbols of that year. The most popular type of lantern is the horse-racing one, in which figures or animals rotate around the vertical axis of the lantern.

The special food for the Lantern Festival is Yuen Sin or Tong Yuen. These are round dumplings made with sticky rice flour. They can be filled and served as a sweet snack or made plain and cooked in a soup with vegetables, meat and dried shrimp. The round shape of the dumpling is a symbol of wholeness, completeness and unity.

The Lantern Festival is an occasion for families to get together and for everyone--young, old, rich and poor to have fun.

2、译文

元宵节是在农历新年的第十五天，在农历新年庆祝结束时举行的。灯笼已经成为中国生活的一部分，所以看元宵节并不奇怪。

人们通常在花园里、房子外面、船上悬挂灯笼。这些灯笼指示客人和祖先的新年庆祝活动。在十五天的盛宴之后，这些灯笼照亮了通往世界的道路。

丝绸、纸和塑料灯笼的形状和大小各不相同，通常是多色的。有些是蝴蝶、鸟、花和船的形状。其他形状像龙，水果和动物象征的那一年。欢迎的灯笼是赛马，其中人物或动物围绕着灯笼的纵轴旋转。

元宵节的特色菜是苑苑或塘苑。这些是用糯米粉做的圆形饺子。它们可以做甜点心，也可以做普通菜，在蔬菜、肉和虾米汤中烹制。饺子的圆形象征着整体性、完整性和统一性。

元宵节是一个家庭团聚的日子，无论是年轻人、老年人、富人和穷人都会感到很有乐趣。