庙会是指在寺庙或道观附近聚会,进行祭神、娱乐和购物等活动,是具有浓厚文化传统的节日风俗。

The temple fair is a kind of gathering near a Buddhist or Taoist temple for people to offer sacrifices to a god, amuse themselves and trade goods. It is a folk festival bearing strong traditional cultural characteristics.

    庙会最早起源于寺庙或道观的祭祀活动。在中国古代,每当寺庙或者道观举行祭祀活动的时候,众多的信徒都会云集于此,小商贩们看到其中有商机,就在附近摆起各式各样的小摊来赚钱。久而久之,庙会就由原来的单一宗教活动变成了富有娱乐性的集市活动。

The earliest temple fair evolved from the sacrificial activities in Buddhist and Taoist temples. In ancient China, a large number of believers would gather together in a temple whenever there was a sacrificial ceremony, attracting vendors of various goods to set up their stalls around the temple. As time went by, the temple fair became a recreational market activity rather than simply a religious one.

    庙会最初是在佛教和道教等宗教节日举办,后来发展为在某些固定日期举办,现在则多在春节、元宵节等节日举办。

Temple fairs were originally held on certain Buddhist or Taoist festivals. As time went by, they were held on several specifically selected dates and now on special occasions like the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival.

    庙会在中国北方保留得较为完好。作为首都北京,这里的庙会活动最频繁,规模也最盛大,集中体现了中国庙会文化的精髓。

The tradition of temple fair is relatively well kept in the north of China. Beijing, as the capital of the country, features the most and the grandest temple fairs, giving the best illustration to the essence of the temple fair culture in China.

    庙会的主要内容是大量的各色小吃、各种民俗商品和游乐项目。在北京的一些庙会上,典型的小吃、商品以及娱乐有糖葫芦、爆肚、风车、兔儿爷和套圈、射击等。 The temple fair is characterized by various kinds of snacks, folk commodities and recreations, such as the sugar-coated haws on a stick, quick-fried tripe, windmill toys, “lord rabbit”, ringtoss and shooting games at the temple fairs in Beijing.
    吃在庙会上可是一个重要的项目。小贩们有的支个布棚,亮出字号,摆上几条长凳、条案;有的将担子停在小吃街的空地上,任人围拢,随意地站着吃。无论酸甜辣咸、还是煎炒烹炸,只要是想得到的味道,这里全都能找到。 Eating plays an important role at a temple fair. Some of the food vendors, often with a brand name, sell their food products inside of a shed with a few long benches and tables placed inside it; others put up their stalls on any open space in the food street, selling snacks to crowds of people who often tend to stand there eating. All kinds of food, no matter what flavor it has or how it is made, can be found here.
    表演也是庙会必不可少的,常见的有跑旱船、扭秧歌、舞龙舞狮等。一些庙会上还有古装的祭拜仪式或庆典活动,如北京地坛庙会上会有皇帝祭地的演出,北京大观园庙会会有元春省亲的表演。每逢春节,游园人数极多,有时一天可达数十万人。 Performances are another integral element of a temple fair, the most common ones being land boat dance, yangge dance, dragon and lion dances. On some temple fairs, one may find people dressed in ancient clothes engaging in some kind of memorial ceremony or celebration, such as the performance of “The Emperor Worships the Earth God” at the Temple of Earth in Beijing and that of “Yuanchun Pays a Visit to Her Parents” at the Grand View Garden. On the Spring Festival, the venue of the fair is filled with tourists; there are often hundreds of thousands of people attending in one day.
    北京的厂甸庙会也非常有名。由于厂甸庙会离市中心最近,是京城各阶层男女老幼春节时争相光顾的场所。在四百多年的历史长河中,厂甸庙会集中展示了京味民间文化,汇集了各地民族民间文化艺术精品,吸引了众多民间艺术家的参与。今天的厂甸庙会是北京城内唯一的开放式庙会,也是北京标志性庙会之一。 Beijing is also famous for the Changdian Temple Fair. As the Changdian Temple Fair is the closest to the center of the city, people from all walks of life rush into the fair during the Spring Festival. Throughout its 400-year history, the Changdian Temple Fair has continuously showcased the folk culture of Beijing, brought together the folk cultural and artistic works from all ethnic groups in China and attracted the participation of a great number of folk artists. Nowadays, the Changdian Temple Fair is the only open temple fair in Beijing that requires no entry ticket and is also one of the most representative temple fairs in the city.
    北京城还有一些热闹的创新型庙会值得一去,如朝阳公园的灯会、石景山游乐园的洋庙会等。 There are also some busy and innovative temple fairs in Beijing that are worth viewing, such as the Lantern Fair in Chaoyang Park and the international-flavored temple fair in Shijingshan Amusement Park.
    2006年,庙会被列入中国国家级非物质文化遗产名录。 In 2006, the culture of temple fair was added to the list of China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage.