The first month is the first month of the lunar calendar. The ancients called "night" as "Xiao". The fifteenth day of the first month is the night of the first full moon of the year, so it is called "Lantern Festival".
正月是农历的元月，古人称“夜”为“宵”，正月十五是一年中第一个月圆之夜，所以称正月十五为“元宵节”。
The formation of the Lantern Festival has a long process, which is rooted in the ancient custom of turning on lights and praying.
元宵节的形成有一个较长的过程，根源于民间开灯祈福古俗。
According to general information and folklore, the fifteenth day of the first month has been paid attention to in the Western Han Dynasty, but the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month was really regarded as a national folk festival after the Han and Wei dynasties.
据一般的资料与民俗传说，正月十五在西汉已经受到重视，不过正月十五元宵节真正作为全国民俗节日是在汉魏之后。
The rise of the custom of lighting lanterns on the 15th day of the first month is also related to the eastward spread of Buddhism. Buddhism flourished in the Tang Dynasty. Officials and people generally "light lanterns for Buddha" on the 15th day of the first month, and Buddhist lights spread all over the people. Since the Tang Dynasty, opening lanterns on the Lantern Festival has become a legal matter.
正月十五燃灯习俗的兴起也与佛教东传有关，唐朝时佛教大兴，仕官百姓普遍在正月十五这一天“燃灯供佛”，佛家灯火于是遍布民间，从唐代起，元宵张灯即成为法定之事。
The lantern festival mainly includes a series of traditional folk activities, such as appreciating lanterns, eating dumplings, guessing lantern riddles, setting off fireworks and so on.
元宵节主要有赏花灯、吃汤圆、猜灯谜、放烟花等一系列传统民俗活动。