How to Introduce a Festival
                                                                                                             湛江第一中学 高三英语组 何晓兰

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                                                      Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival, also known as the Yuanxiao Festival in China, is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar. That first month is called the Yuan month, and in ancient times, people called the night Xiao; the 15th day is the first night to see a full moon in that lunar year. That is how the day earned its name as the Yuan Xiao Festival. It marks the end of the Spring Festival celebration and is also the first major festival after Chinese New Year.
Origin and History

The practice of appreciating lanterns during this festival actually originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) under Emperor Han Mingdi’s reign.

The Emperor was a big advocator of Buddhism. On the first lunar month’s 15th day, Chinese monks would light lanterns to worship the Buddha. When Mingdi heard of this custom, he officially decreed all temples and the palace to light lanterns for worshiping the Buddha on this night, and for all the people across the country to hang out lanterns as well. Year after year, this Buddhist festival came to grow into a grand folk festival, first from the royal palace to the people, and then from theCentral Chinaregion to the whole of the country.
Customs

Chinais an incredibly vast country with a long history, so the customs associated with the Lantern Festival are quite different from region to region. Most place will host activities such as showcasing fantastic lit lantern displays, guessing lantern riddles, lion dancing, eating Yuan Xiao (sweet filled rice dumplings), and much more to celebrate this grand festival.

1.Lantern Displays

Every dynasty took the seeing and displaying of the colorful lanterns as a grand event. However, the largest Lantern Festivals took place in the Ming Dynasty in the 15th century. The Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang ordered that the festival be celebrated from the 8th day to the 17th day in the first lunar month. During the event, countless vibrantly lit lanterns were hung and people exploded firecrackers and fireworks. Still, the most recognizable of today’s Lantern Festival traditions hail from after the Qing and final dynasty ofChina.

2.Guessing Lantern Riddles

The Chinese people are very proud of their intelligence and ability to think abstractly, so guessing lantern riddles is another incredibly popular activity during the festival. The riddles often contain messages of good fortune, family, reunion, abundant harvest, prosperity, and love, and many of them originated from the Spring and Autumn Period. Then in the Southern Song Dynasty, people began to write the riddles on their lantern for visitors to guess. To date, cities acrossChinahold such kinds of delightful activities to celebrate the Lantern Festival. Because they are fascinating and give people such inspiration, solving riddles activities are very popular with all ages and walks of life.

3.Eating Yuan Xiao

Among so many practices regarding the Lantern Festival, eating Yuan Xiao is the most simple and popular way to celebrate especially in today’sChina. The first Yuan Xiao were made over 800 years ago. These glutinous rice balls are round and sweet, making for a most satisfying dessert and snack. Yuan Xiao can be cooked in various ways: boiled, fried, or steamed. The Chinese believe they contain the message of reunion and happiness.

4.Lion Dance

Lion dances are an excellent example of folklore art. It is a very significant activity used to help celebrate festivals as well as other big days such as weddings. This custom has an extensive history of over 1,000 years, originated from the Three Kingdoms Period, and was prevalent in the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

5. Chinese St. Valentine’s Day

In ancientChina, the Lantern Festival is also known as the Chinese Valentine's Day, a day to celebrate love and affection between lovers. It was once customary for single people to carry lit lanterns on the street in hopes of finding their true love. The brightest lanterns symbolized good luck. However, as time passed, the festival no longer has an emphasis on such meaning.

                                    How to Introduce a festival 导学案

一、Quiz自我小测

Major Traditional Chinese Festivals:

                         (January 1^st of lunar calendar)春节

                         (January 15^th of lunar calendar)元宵节

                           (around April 5^th of solar calendar)清明节

                           (May 5^th of lunar calendar)端午节

                           (July 7^th of lunar calendar)七夕

                           (August 15^th of lunar calendar )中秋节

                           (September 9th of lunar calendar)重阳节

二、Read and Learn 阅读与学习

1. Read the passage quickly and find out what aspects did the writer cover when introducing a festival?  （Tips：阅读中学会留意不同主题的文章的写作特点）

①                                           

②                                             

③                                             

2. Read the passage carefully and find out the words/phrases the writer used when introducing a festival? Please pay more attention to verbs, nouns and adjectives.

①        Verbs. and phrases （Tips：选用准确的动词，让表达生动形象）

                    作为…为人所知                                     

                          在…庆祝                                     

                            起源于                                     

                              祭拜                                     

                          把…当做                                     

                            象征着                                     

②        Verbs and phrases about activities （Tips：动宾搭配要准确，自然，合乎英语思维）

                           赏灯笼                                      

                         祭拜佛祖                                      

                         展示灯笼                                      

                           猜灯谜                                      

                           放鞭炮                                      

                           放烟花                                      

Question: Do you know any other activity in different festivals?

③        Nouns and adjectives （Tips：适当地使用形容词，让表达更加充实，传神达意）

                   第一个主要的节日                                    

                           历史悠久                                    

                   相当受欢迎的活动                                    

                  男女老幼，各行各业                                   

                     最令人满足的点心