英語六級翻譯考前訓練材料
自漢朝起，元宵節就已成為了中國新年慶祝活動中的一部分了。下面是小編整理的關於元宵節的英語六級翻譯材料，希望能幫到大家!
元宵節
自漢朝(公元前206年—公元221年)起，元宵節就已成為了中國新年慶祝活動中的一部分了。一般農曆的正月十五為元宵節，這一天也標誌着新年慶祝活動的結束。
The Lantern Festival has been part of Chinese New Year celebrations since the Han Dynasty (206 BC- 221 AD). Usually held on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, it marks the end of New Year festivities。
據説元宵節由古代中國的一個傳説演化而來，傳言每至農曆第一個月圓之夜，便可看到天上飛動的神靈。為了更容易尋找神靈，他們都會用一些火把照明，而這些火把也逐漸由一些形狀、大小、顏色各異的燈籠所取代。
It is said that the holiday evolved from an ancient Chinese belief that celestial spirits could be seen flying about in the light of the first full moon of the lunar calendar. To aid them in their search for the spirits they used torches. These torches gave way to lanterns of every shape, size and colour。
元宵節廣受喜愛的另一個原因在於：它也被看做中國的情人節，因為在過去，這一天少男少女們可以利用這個寶貴的機會晚上一起出去約會。而今，在中國、香港、新加坡和台灣每年都會歡慶元宵節，以此作為中國新年慶祝的收尾。同時這些地方每年也會舉辦一些比賽來評選最佳彩燈。
The Lantern Festival is also popularly referred to as the Chinese Valentine’s Day because in days of old it gave girls and boys a rare chance to go out in the evening and mingle. Today, lantern festivals are held each year in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan to mark the end of Chinese New Year celebrations. Competitions are held to select the best lanterns。
燈籠
燈籠的形狀各異，大小不同。一些燈籠會紮成動物、昆蟲、花朵、人甚至是機器或建築物的形狀。還有一些則描繪了許多廣為流傳故事的情景，用來宣揚孝道以及傳統價值觀。最受大眾喜愛則為當年生肖動物的主題彩燈，2014年會是馬年。
The lanterns
The lanterns come in all shapes and sizes. Some are created in the form of animals, insects, flowers, people or even machines or buildings. Others depict scenes from popular stories teaching filial piety and traditional values. A favourite subject is the zodiac animal of the year - which in 2014 will be the horse。
猜燈謎
元宵節傳統習俗中還有一部分是關於猜燈謎的.遊戲。在過去，這些謎語大多出自於模糊的文學典故和中國古典之中，所以猜燈謎以前多為知識份子的“領地”。
Lantern riddles (caideng mi)
Part of the lantern festival tradition involves a game to guess riddles attached to the lanterns. In the old days the riddles were obscure literary allusions to the Chinese classics and so were mainly the preserve of the educated classes。
特色小吃
與大多數中國節日一樣，元宵節同樣有自己的特色小吃，稱為“湯圓”(也叫“元宵”)。湯圓外形圓圓的，外皮由糯米制成，內餡或甜或辣。人們都説湯圓有兩個象徵之意，一為農曆的第一個月圓，二為家庭團聚圓滿。
Special foods
Like most Chinese festivals, the Lantern Festival has its own special food, called "tang yuan". These are round, glutinous rice dumplings with sweet or spicy fillings. The dumplings are said to symbolise both the first full moon and family unity and completeness。
娛樂活動
踩高蹺，敲鼓和舞龍舞獅都是一些傳統節日的娛樂活動。在亞洲，人們經常能看到這樣的場景：數百英尺的長龍，閃閃發光的眼睛和亮晶晶的身軀，周圍還有敲鑼打鼓、吹奏樂器的隊伍。
Entertainment
Stilt-walking, drumming and dragon and lion dancing are all traditional forms of festival entertainment. In Asia, it is not uncommon to see processions of hundred-foot long dragons, lit with flashing eyes and luminous bodies, accompanied by pounding drums, cymbals and brass instruments。
