发布时间 : 星期四 文章Chinese Spring Festival更新完毕开始阅读3fcb777331b765ce050814e1
Chinese Spring Festival A Brief Introduction
对于中国人来说，春节是最主要的一个节日，是家人团聚的时刻，正如西方的圣诞节。 The Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese people and is when all family members get together, just like Christmas in the West.
每年的这个时候，机场、火车站和长途汽车站都挤满了回家的人。
At this time each year, airports, railway stations and long-distance bus stations are crowded with home returnees.
春节是农历的1月1号，通常比公历晚1个月。
The Spring Festival falls on the 1st day of the 1st lunar month, often one month later than the Gregorian calendar.
严格来说，每年春节开始于农历的第12个月的前几天，结束于来年农历1月中旬。 Strictly speaking, the Spring Festival starts every year in the early days of the 12th lunar month and will last till the mid 1st lunar month of the next year.
农历12月的第23天是小年。这天，人们祭灶神。
The 23rd day of the 12th lunar month is called Preliminary Eve. At this time, people offer sacrifice to the kitchen god.
小年后，人们开始为新年做准备，如办年货(鸡、鸭、鱼、肉、水果、糖果、各种瓜子等)，打扫户内户外卫生。
After the Preliminary Eve, people begin preparing for the coming New Year, purchasing necessities for the New Year (chicken, duck, fish and meat, but also fruit, candies and kinds of nuts) and completely cleaning the indoors and outdoors of their homes .
接下来，人们开始装饰打扫过的屋子，突出节日的喜庆气氛。
Then people begin decorating their clean rooms featuring an atmosphere of rejoicing and festivity.
所有的门上都贴上展示中国书法的春联（红底黑字），大门口贴上门神和财神驱邪迎福。 All the door panels will be pasted with Spring Festival couplets, highlighting Chinese calligraphy with black characters on red paper. Pictures of the god of doors and wealth will be posted on front doors to ward off evil spirits and welcome peace and abundance.
福字是必须要贴的，可以正贴，可以倒贴，因为在汉语里，倒福是福到了的谐音。
The Chinese character \fu\(meaning blessing or happiness) is a must. The character put on paper can be pasted normally or upside down, for in Chinese the \reversed fu\is homophonic with \fu comes\fudaole.\
人们很重视除夕夜。丰盛的晚餐后，全家人围坐一起，聊天，看电视。近年来，中央电
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视台的春节联欢晚会是海内外华人必看的节目。根据习俗，每家每户都要守夜。
People attach great importance to Spring Festival Eve. After the luxurious dinner, all family members will sit together, chatting and watching TV. In recent years, the Spring Festival party (gala) broadcast on China Central Television Station (CCTV) is essential entertainment for the Chinese both at home and abroad. According to custom, each family will stay up to see the New Year in.
新年起床，每个人都梳洗打扮。第一件事向父母拜年，每个小孩都会得到压岁钱。
Waking up on New Year, everybody dresses up. First they extend greetings to their parents. Then each child will get money as a New Year gift, wrapped up in red paper.
北方人早饭吃饺子，因为饺子的音意是“辞旧迎新”，而且，饺子的形状像中国古代的金锭。人们吃饺子是希望财源滚滚。
People in northern China will eat jiaozi, or dumplings, for breakfast, as they think \jiaozi\in sound means \bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new\dumpling is like gold ingot from ancient China. So people eat them and wish for money and treasure.
南方人在这个时候吃年糕，因为年糕谐音“年高”，意思是“年年高”。 Southern Chinese eat niangao (New Year cake made of glutinous rice flour) on this occasion, because as a homophone, niangao means \higher and higher, one year after another.\
新年的前五天是走亲访友的好时间。
The first five days after the Spring Festival is a good time for relatives, friends, and classmates as well as colleagues to exchange greetings, gifts and chat leisurely.
放鞭炮是春节最典型的习俗，人们认为噼里啪啦的声音可以驱邪。
Burning fireworks is the most typical custom on the Spring Festival. People think the spluttering sound can help drive away evil spirits.
欢乐的气氛充满了各家各户，也弥漫于大街小巷。
The lively atmosphere not only fills every household, but permeates to streets and lanes.
一系列的诸如舞狮子、舞龙灯、灯会、庙会等活动会持续数日。元宵节后，春节接近了尾声。
A series of activities such as lion dancing, dragon lantern dancing, lantern festivals and temple fairs will be held for days. The Spring Festival then comes to an end when the Lantern Festival is finished.
New Year’s Resolution: resolution made on January 1st新年第一天下的决心 resolution: a promise made to yourself to do sth 决心
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Legend of Nian
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Chinese also call Spring Festival “Guo Nian”. The word “Guo” in Chinese has both the
meaning of “pass-over” and “observe”. The word Nian, which in modern Chinese solely means “year”, was originally the name of a monster beast that started to prey on people the night before the beginning of a new year. There is a legend about “Nian”.
“Nian” was a monster with antennae. It was very rude and lived at the bottom of the sea. It went ashore on lunar New Year’s Eve to devour people and animals. People were scared of it. On every lunar New Year’s Eve, in order to keep themselves safe, people fled to the mountains, bringing along the old and the young.
On one lunar New Year’s Eve, an old man with long whiskers came into the village.
He was begging for some food and a place to stay overnight. At that time, the villagers were in a hurry fleeing to the mountains to avoid being hurt by “Nian”. The villagers were busy running for their lives, so no one noticed the old man except an old lady. “Climb the mountain, or “Nian” will devour you.” She said to the old man. The old man smiled, but he didn’t say any word. “Be quick, in less than several hours “Nian” will come.” The old lady added. Still, the old man smiled. Then, he said, “If you let me stay at your home for a night, I assure you of driving ‘Nian’out” “But…” At last, the old lady had no choice but to flee to the mountains, leaving the old man in her house.
At midnight, “Nian” did come. It found there was something different in one house and so walked around the house to see whether there was anything unusual. There was a piece of Chinese red paper on the door, and a flame indoors. Seeing that, “Nian” trembled all over and cried in a strange voice. It glared at the house, and then pounced on the house. As it was approaching the house, suddenly some loud sound of firecrackers came out of the house. Again “Nian” trembled, and it had no courage to approach any more. At that time, the door opened. Indoors the old man who begged the old lady for her house to stay overnight smiled at “Nian”. He was wearing a Chinese red coat. On seeing that, “Nian” ran away. In fact, “Nian” was afraid of red, flame and firecracker. ? ? From then on, people living in the village knew how to drive “Nian” off. And from then
on, the tradition of observing the conquest of Nian is carried on from generation to generation. The term “Guo Nian”, which may mean “Survive the Nian” becomes today “Celebrate the (New) Year” as the word \in Chinese having both the meaning of “pass-over” and “observe”. The custom of putting up red paper and firing fire-crackers to scare away Nian should it have a chance to run loose is still around.
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