学学跟外国友人聊聊元宵节

元宵节的英文是Lantern Festival。因为正月十五是一年中第一个月圆之夜，所以叫元宵。
The 15th day of the 1st lunar month is the Chinese Lantern Festival because the first lunar month is called yuan-month and in the ancient times people called night Xiao. The 15th day is the first night to see a full moon. So the day is also called Yuan Xiao Festival in China.

说完了起源，咱们说说习俗，元宵节我们做什么呢？我们赏花灯（colorful lanterns）、猜灯谜（solve the puzzles）、吃元宵（yuanxiao，glutinous rice ball）。

元宵有甜的也有咸的，甜的通常会用糖（sugar）、胡桃（Walnuts）, 芝麻（sesame）,桂花（osmanthus flowers）, 玫瑰（rose petals）、枣泥（jujube paste）等东西做馅. 咸的就可能会用肉馅（minced meat）或者蔬菜做馅了。

最后，再给老外来上一首诗词，你就等着被夸吧。背什么？这里有一首很有名的宋词哦。

青玉案·元夕

         ——辛弃疾

东风夜放花千树，
更吹落，星如雨。
宝马雕车香满路。
凤箫声动，玉壶光转，
一夜鱼龙舞。
蛾儿雪柳黄金缕，
笑语盈盈暗香去。
众里寻他千百度，
蓦然回首，那人却在，
灯火阑珊处。

怕老外听不懂？没关系，咱再解释一遍：

night lights a thousand trees in bloom
a shower of stars blown
by the east wind
ornate carriages drawn by gallant horses
filled the boulevards with a sweet fragrance
voice of the magic flute flowing
luster of the jade white urn turning
all night the fishes and the dragons danced

butterflies, willows, charms of gold
gone -- that angelic laughter, that subtle perfume
in the crowds for her I’d searched a thousand times
perchance I turned
and there she was
where lights were few and dim.

知道了这些，你就可以自如的跟老外侃元宵啦。祝大家元宵节快乐！