<p>Complementary to @hinen answer. </p>

<p>Lantern festival <code>灯节</code> , is actually geographical cultural specific. </p>

<p>For ethnic "Han" and to the confusion of other cultural, Lantern festival may refer any of these day in agri-lunar(农历）Calendar </p>

<ul>
<li>农历正月十五 元宵节 (1st month, day 15)</li>
<li>农历七月七日 七巧节 (7th month, day 7 )</li>
<li>农历八月十五 中秋节 (8th month, day 15)</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-20T10:38:46.517Z
2017-02-21T10:00:11.650Z
2017-02-21T10:00:11.650Z
mootmoot
<p>“灯节”就是元宵节的非正式的非官方的民间叫法。就是正月十五这天。</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-13T14:55:14.410Z
2017-03-13T14:55:14.410Z
Chinese boy
<p>灯节is an informal term of 元宵节。
元宵 doesn't means 'lantern'. It means 'the night of the 15th day of January', because January(一月) is also called 元月 in ancient Chinese. 
宵 means 'night'.<br>
In old tradition, people see lantern shows outside at this day. Thus it is also called 灯节（lantern festival）。</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-18T20:52:03.150Z
2017-02-18T20:52:03.150Z
Ran
<p>元宵节和灯节其实是一样的，两种称呼而已。这一天人们通常会猜灯谜、赏花灯。</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-12T22:46:25.027Z
2017-02-12T22:46:25.027Z
user16419
<p><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%85%83%E5%AE%B5%E8%8A%82" rel="noreferrer">元宵節</a></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>亦稱為上元節、小正月、元夕、小年或春燈節。<br>
  時間是每年的農曆正月十五。<br>
  佛教有在正月十五點燈供佛的習俗。<br>
  而道教中，上元節乃天官華誕，故燃燈以慶。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>元：上元 (農曆正月十五，the 15th of the 1st lunar month)<br>
宵：夜晚 (night, evening)<br>
元宵：the evening of the 15th of the 1st lunar month</p>

<p>Lantern: 燈<br>
Festival: 節<br>
Lantern Festival: 燈節</p>

<p><a href="http://www.hitutor.com.tw/lantern-festival-story.php" rel="noreferrer">元宵節的由來英文介紹</a></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, usually in February or March in the Gregorian calendar. As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), it had become a festival with great significance. This day's important activity is watching lanterns. Throughout the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), Buddhism flourished in China. One emperor heard that Buddhist monks would watch sarira, or remains from the cremation of Buddha's body, and light lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, so he ordered to light lanterns in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to Buddha on this day. Later, the Buddhist rite developed into a grand festival among common people and its influence expanded from the Central Plains to the whole of China.</p>
  
  <p>每年農曆的正月十五日，春節剛過，迎來的就是中國的傳統節日--元宵節。元宵節主要的活動就是看燈。東漢明帝時期，明帝提倡佛教，聽說佛教有正月十五日僧人觀佛舍利，點燈敬佛的做法，就命令這一天夜晚在皇宮和寺廟裡點燈敬佛，令士族庶民都掛燈。以後這種佛教禮儀節日逐漸形成民間盛大的節日。該節經歷了由宮廷到民間，由中原到全國的發展過程。</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-11T12:43:13.443Z
2017-02-11T12:43:13.443Z
hinen
<p>Is there a difference between the expressions 元宵节 and  灯节, or are they exactly the same?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-11T11:02:25.160Z
s.e.g. bkrs:元宵节 Lantern Festival (15th of the first lunar month) 
灯节  Lantern Festival (15th of first lunar month)
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-11T11:22:30.877Z
@user6065 Is 元宵节 more common? Because some native speakers seem to not even know what 灯节 is and they corrected me to 元宵节
Sarah Groß
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-11T12:07:01.187Z
I was from Hong Kong, I only know there is a festival called 元宵节 or 彩灯节. Never heard people calling it just 灯节
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-11T16:42:19.733Z
灯节：（元宵节别名）http://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%81%AF%E8%8A%82/13783181  元宵节别名：灯盏、点灯盏
user6065
<difference><expressions>
Difference between 元宵节 and 灯节？
# Difference between 元宵节 and 灯节？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-02-11)

Is there a difference between the expressions 元宵节 and 灯节, or are they exactly the same?

**Tags:** difference, expressions
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: s.e.g. bkrs:元宵节 Lantern Festival (15th of the first lunar month)  灯节  Lantern Festival (15th of first lunar month)  
> **username_0**: @user6065 Is 元宵节 more common? Because some native speakers seem to not even know what 灯节 is and they corrected me to 元宵节  
> **username_2**: I was from Hong Kong, I only know there is a festival called 元宵节 or 彩灯节. Never heard people calling it just 灯节  
> **username_1**: 灯节：（元宵节别名）http://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%81%AF%E8%8A%82/13783181  元宵节别名：灯盏、点灯盏  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_7 on 2017-02-11. Score: 9 | Accepted answer

[元宵節](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%85%83%E5%AE%B5%E8%8A%82)

> 亦稱為上元節、小正月、元夕、小年或春燈節。  
> 時間是每年的農曆正月十五。  
> 佛教有在正月十五點燈供佛的習俗。  
> 而道教中，上元節乃天官華誕，故燃燈以慶。

元：上元 (農曆正月十五，the 15th of the 1st lunar month)  
宵：夜晚 (night, evening)  
元宵：the evening of the 15th of the 1st lunar month

Lantern: 燈  
Festival: 節  
Lantern Festival: 燈節

[元宵節的由來英文介紹](http://www.hitutor.com.tw/lantern-festival-story.php)

> The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, usually in February or March in the Gregorian calendar. As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), it had become a festival with great significance. This day's important activity is watching lanterns. Throughout the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), Buddhism flourished in China. One emperor heard that Buddhist monks would watch sarira, or remains from the cremation of Buddha's body, and light lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, so he ordered to light lanterns in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to Buddha on this day. Later, the Buddhist rite developed into a grand festival among common people and its influence expanded from the Central Plains to the whole of China.
>
> 每年農曆的正月十五日，春節剛過，迎來的就是中國的傳統節日--元宵節。元宵節主要的活動就是看燈。東漢明帝時期，明帝提倡佛教，聽說佛教有正月十五日僧人觀佛舍利，點燈敬佛的做法，就命令這一天夜晚在皇宮和寺廟裡點燈敬佛，令士族庶民都掛燈。以後這種佛教禮儀節日逐漸形成民間盛大的節日。該節經歷了由宮廷到民間，由中原到全國的發展過程。


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-02-20. Score: 2

Complementary to @hinen answer.

Lantern festival `灯节` , is actually geographical cultural specific.

For ethnic "Han" and to the confusion of other cultural, Lantern festival may refer any of these day in agri-lunar(农历）Calendar

* 农历正月十五 元宵节 (1st month, day 15)
* 农历七月七日 七巧节 (7th month, day 7 )
* 农历八月十五 中秋节 (8th month, day 15)


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-03-13. Score: 0

“灯节”就是元宵节的非正式的非官方的民间叫法。就是正月十五这天。


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2017-02-18. Score: 0

灯节is an informal term of 元宵节。
元宵 doesn't means 'lantern'. It means 'the night of the 15th day of January', because January(一月) is also called 元月 in ancient Chinese.
宵 means 'night'.  
In old tradition, people see lantern shows outside at this day. Thus it is also called 灯节（lantern festival）。


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2017-02-12. Score: -1

元宵节和灯节其实是一样的，两种称呼而已。这一天人们通常会猜灯谜、赏花灯。


---

