中国人为元宵节做好准备

The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Chinese lunar year. It officially ends the Chinese New Year celebration.
元宵节是中国的传统节日，它是在农历正月十五庆祝的。它标志着中国新年庆祝的正式结束。

During the festival, people eat yuan-xiao or glutinous dumplings, and go out to enjoy lanterns. Let's take a look at how people all over the country are preparing for the big event.
元宵节期间，人们会吃元宵或汤圆，出去赏灯。让我们去看看全国各地的人们如何为这个大节日做准备。

Each year, people in Fujian Province on the mainland and Mazu Island in Taiwan share the holiday spirit of the Lantern Festival. With just a few days to go, Mawei City has already geared up. At the city center, various lanterns have already been set up, among which the dragon and phoenix lantern sets are the most eye-catching.
每年，大陆的福建人和台湾妈祖岛的人都会分享元宵节的节日精神。离元宵节只有几天了，马尾市已经做好准备了。在市中心，各种各样的灯笼已经准备好，在这些灯笼中，龙凤灯笼是最抢眼的。

Jiang Bin, section chief of Mawei Culture & Sports Bureau, said, "This group of lanterns are unique. The dragon is more than one hundred meters long. The phoenix together with dragon signify good luck and happiness, which perfectly matches the festive atmosphere."
马尾文化体育局的部门主管Jiang Bin表示：“这组灯笼是独一无二的。这条龙有100多米长。龙凤象征着好运和幸福，这和节日气氛非常搭配。”

The lanterns have all been readied, and on Thursday night, they will light up both sides of the Taiwan Straits.
灯笼全都准备好了，星期四晚上，它们将点亮海峡两岸。

In Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian Province, lanterns are in hot demand. In Nanhou Street, each stand is filled with different kinds of lanterns. In addition to the traditional patterns such as lotus blossom and litchi fruit, there are also many cartoon lanterns specially made for children.
在福建省省会福州，灯笼的需求量很大。在南后街，每个售货摊都摆满了各种各样的灯笼。除了莲花和荔枝等传统造型之外，也有许多专为儿童制作的卡通灯笼。

A customer said, "This year is the year of dragon. I like this dragon lantern very much."
一位顾客表示：“今年是龙年。我非常喜欢这种龙的灯笼。”

While lanterns are selling hot, yuanxiao or glutinous dumplings are also a favorite for Chinese people during the lantern festival. In Jiangsu Province, yuanxiao takes up a major part of the frozen food section in super markets. Its round shape signifies family reunion, and Chinese people believe it will give them a good life.
在灯笼热卖的同时，元宵或汤圆也是中国人在元宵节期间喜欢的东西。在江苏省，元宵占了超市冷冻食品区的大部分。它的圆形形状代表家庭团圆，中国人认为它会给他们带来好生活。