A Festival for the Dead is held once a year in Japan. This festival is a cheerful occasion, for on this day, the dead are said to return to their homes and they are welcomed by the living. As they are expected to be hungry after their long journey, food is laid out for them. Specially-made lanterns are hung outside each house to help the dead to find their way.

亡靈節(jié)在日本每年都舉行一次。這個節(jié)日是開心的節(jié)日，因?yàn)樵谀翘?，?jù)說死者都會回到他們的家，也會被生者歡迎。因?yàn)橛X得他們長途旅行都很累，所以都準(zhǔn)備了食物。屋外都掛著特制的燈籠，以便幫助死者找到路。

All night long, people dance and sing. In the early morning, the food that had been laid out for the dead is thrown into a river or into the sea as it is considered unlucky for anyone living to eat it. In towns that are near the sea, the tiny lanterns which had been hung in the streets the night before, are placed into the water when the festival is over.

整個長夜，人們唱歌跳舞。第二天早上，為死者準(zhǔn)備的食物都被倒去河里，流向海中，因?yàn)檫@些食物如果給生者吃了會不吉利。在靠海的鎮(zhèn)子里，頭天晚上掛在街上的特制小燈籠在節(jié)日結(jié)束后也會擺放在水里。

Thousands of lanterns slowly drift out to sea guiding the dead on their return journey to the other world. This is a moving spectacle, for crowds of people stand on the shore watching the lanterns drifting away until they can be seen no more.

千千萬萬的燈籠緩慢地飄向海里，指引著亡靈回到他們的世界的路。當(dāng)人群站在岸上看著燈籠飄遠(yuǎn)，直到再也看不到，是一幅令人感動的場面。