Also See: Continued from yesterday
So, what do people do on Lantern Festival and when is it celebrated?
Lantern Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year,
ILLUSTRATIONS: COURTESY OF EXPLORER PUBLICATIONS
marking the end of the festive season. Firecrackers are lit and lanterns are carried, usually in the shape of the Zodiac animal of that particular New Year. People eat yuansiao or tangyuan, which are balls of rice filled with an assortment of fillings. I love the ones filled with ground peanut powder, while my children love the ones filled with black sesame paste.
One other activity besides eating yuansiao is to make up riddles for others to guess. This activity is recorded as having started during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Those who guess the correct answer to the riddle are to bring their answer to the one who thought of the riddle and a little gift would then be bestowed upon the ones with the right answer.
Besides the guessing of riddles, in time past, it was also the one night that young single ladies could go out, chaperoned by someone, of course, in order to meet eligible bachelors. The evening of the Lantern Festival must have been filled with laughter and excitement with the streets lit by the brightly decorated lanterns and crowded with throngs of people.
ILLUSTRATIONS: COURTESY OF EXPLORER PUBLICATIONS
So, how do you celebrate Lantern Festival? Have you ever guessed one of those riddles correctly? Have you ever made your own lantern? Or better yet, have you ever met someone special on the evening of the Lantern Festival? Although Lantern Festival marks the end of the Lunar New Year holiday, it is still a celebration that brings a sense of joy and excitement.
Also See: 接續昨日
那麼，人們在元宵節做什麼呢？何時慶祝它呢？
ILLUSTRATIONS: COURTESY OF EXPLORER PUBLICATIONS
人們在農曆新年的第十五天慶祝元宵節，代表年節的結束。民眾會施放鞭炮和提燈籠，而燈籠的形狀通常是當年的生肖代表。人們還會吃元宵或湯圓，就是裡面填有各種不同餡料的米球。我最愛有花生粉的內餡，我的小孩則愛黑芝麻的。
除了吃元宵以外，還有猜燈謎活動。根據記載，這項活動始於宋朝（960-1279），猜謎語的人要帶著解答到出謎語的人那裡，然後有正確答案的人可獲贈小禮物。
除了猜謎語之外，在過去，當晚也是年輕單身女子可以在他人伴護下，出門去認識合意的單身漢的機會。元宵節晚上必定是充滿歡笑和興奮，街道被漂亮的燈籠裝點的美輪美奐，並擠滿人群。
所以，你是如何慶祝元宵節呢？你曾猜對燈謎嗎？你曾自己製作過燈籠嗎？或更好的是，你曾在元宵節晚上遇到特別的人嗎？雖然元宵節代表著農曆春節的結束，它仍是一個帶來歡笑和興奮的慶典。
A: Apart from the musical Sunset Boulevard, Japanese pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki is also touring Taiwan after a 17-year wait. She’s holding two concerts starting tonight. B: Ayu has the most No. 1 hits of any Japanese solo artist, with 33 total. A: “Time” magazine even crowned her as “The Empress of Pop.” B: She staged shows in Taipei back in 2007 and 2008, causing an “Ayu fever” across Taiwan. A: Unfortunately, the singer has been deaf in her left ear since 2008, and is gradually losing hearing in her right ear. I’m so excited to see her singing in Taipei again. A: 除了音樂劇《日落大道》，日本歌后濱崎步睽違17年，今晚起在台北熱唱兩場。
Alan Turing, celebrated as the “father of computer science,” was a brilliant mathematician and scientist. Born in London in 1912, Turing showed exceptional talent in mathematics and science from a young age. At 16, he understood Albert Einstein’s work without difficulty. This intelligence carried him through studies at Cambridge University and later at Princeton University in the US, where he further explored complex mathematical theories. In 1936, Turing introduced the concept of the Turing machine, a theoretical device for solving mathematical problems. He described it as having an infinite tape on which symbols could be read, interpreted, and modified. With simple
Denmark’s state-run postal service, PostNord, announced that it would cease letter deliveries at the end of 2025 due to the impact of digitalization. As 95% of its residents now use the Digital Post service, Denmark has seen a 90% decline in letter volumes since 2000, from 1.4 billion to 110 million last year. On top of that, the Postal Act of 2024 removes the government’s obligation to provide universal mail service and puts an end to postal exemptions from value-added tax, raising the cost of a single letter to 29 Danish krone (US$4.20). As a result, PostNord is switching
A: After touring Taipei, the play Life of Pi is now heading to Taichung. You wanna go? B: Did you forget? We’re going to Taipei this weekend to see the musical Sunset Boulevard and go to Japanese pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki’s concert. A: Oh yeah, that’s right. The classic composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber is touring Taiwan for the first time. B: I heard that it’s adapted from a 1950 film with the same title. A: And the show will feature legendary soprano Sarah Brightman, who is finally returning to the musical stage after 30 years. We can’t miss it. A: 在台北巡演後，戲劇《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》本週起將移師台中。要去嗎？
RSS