中英雙語(yǔ)閱讀之春節(jié)

1、第 第 頁(yè)中英雙語(yǔ)閱讀之春節(jié)春節(jié)，是農(nóng)歷正月初一，又叫陰歷年，俗稱“過(guò)年”。這是我國(guó)民間最隆重、最喧鬧的一個(gè)傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日。春節(jié)的歷史很悠久，它起源于殷商時(shí)期年頭歲尾的祭神祭祖活動(dòng)。根據(jù)我國(guó)農(nóng)歷，正月初一古稱元日、元辰、元正、元朔、元旦等，俗稱年初一，到了民國(guó)時(shí)期，改用公歷，公歷的一月一日稱為元旦，把農(nóng)歷的一月一日叫春節(jié)。春節(jié)到了，意味著春天將要來(lái)臨，萬(wàn)象復(fù)蘇草木更新，新一輪播種和收獲季節(jié)又要開(kāi)始。人們剛剛度過(guò)冰天雪地草木凋零的漫漫寒冬，早就希望著春暖花開(kāi)的日子，當(dāng)新春到來(lái)之際，自然要充斥喜悅載歌載舞地迎接這個(gè)節(jié)日。千百年來(lái)，人們使年俗慶?；顒?dòng)變得異樣豐富多彩，每年從農(nóng)歷臘月二十三日起到年三十，民間

2、把這段時(shí)間叫做“迎春日”，也叫“掃塵日”，在春節(jié)前掃塵搞衛(wèi)生，是我國(guó)人民素有的傳統(tǒng)習(xí)慣。然后就是家家戶戶預(yù)備年貨，節(jié)前十天左右，人們就開(kāi)始忙于收購(gòu)物品，年貨包括雞鴨魚肉、茶酒油醬、南北炒貨、糖餌果品，都要采買充分，還要預(yù)備一些過(guò)年時(shí)走親訪友時(shí)贈(zèng)送的禮品，小孩子要添置新衣新帽，預(yù)備過(guò)年時(shí)穿。在節(jié)前要在住宅的大門上粘貼紅紙黃字的新年寄語(yǔ)，也就是用紅紙寫成的春聯(lián)。屋里張貼色調(diào)艷麗寓意吉利的年畫，心靈手巧的姑娘們剪出漂亮的窗花貼在窗戶上，門前掛大紅燈籠或貼福字及財(cái)神、門神像等，福字還可以倒貼，路人一念福倒了，也就是福氣到了，全部這些活動(dòng)都是要為節(jié)日增加足夠的喜慶氣氛。春節(jié)的另一名稱叫過(guò)年。在過(guò)去的傳奇

3、中，年是一種為人們帶來(lái)壞運(yùn)氣的想象中的動(dòng)物。年一來(lái)。樹(shù)木凋蔽，百草不生;年一過(guò)，萬(wàn)物生長(zhǎng)，鮮花遍地。年如何才能過(guò)去呢?需用鞭炮轟，于是有了燃鞭炮的.習(xí)俗，這其實(shí)也是烘托喧鬧場(chǎng)面的又一種方式。春節(jié)是個(gè)快樂(lè)祥和的節(jié)日，也是親人團(tuán)聚的日子，離家在外的孩子在過(guò)春節(jié)時(shí)都要回家團(tuán)聚。過(guò)年的前一夜，就是舊年的臘月三十夜，也叫除夕，又叫團(tuán)聚夜，在這新舊交替的時(shí)候，守歲是最重要的年俗活動(dòng)之一，除夕晚上，全家老小都一起熬年守歲，團(tuán)聚酣飲，共享天倫之樂(lè)，北方地區(qū)在除夕有吃餃子的習(xí)俗，餃子的作法是先和面，和字就是合;餃子的餃和交諧音，合和交有相聚之意，又取更歲交子之意。在南方有過(guò)年吃年糕的習(xí)慣，甜甜的粘粘的年糕，象征

4、新一年生活甜美蜜，步步高。待第一聲雞啼響起，或是新年的鐘聲敲過(guò)，街上鞭炮齊鳴，響聲此起彼伏，家家喜氣洋洋，新的一年開(kāi)始了，男女老少都穿著節(jié)日盛裝，先給家族中的長(zhǎng)者拜年祝壽，節(jié)中還有給兒童壓歲錢，吃團(tuán)年飯，初二、三就開(kāi)始走親戚看伙伴，相互拜年，道賀祝愿，說(shuō)些恭賀新喜、恭喜發(fā)財(cái)、恭喜、過(guò)年好等話，祭祖等活動(dòng)。節(jié)日的激烈氣氛不僅洋溢在各家各戶，也充斥各地的大街小巷，一些地方的街市上還有舞獅子，耍龍燈，演社火，游花市，逛廟會(huì)等習(xí)俗。這期間花燈滿城，游人滿街，喧鬧非凡，盛況空前，直要鬧到正月十五元宵節(jié)過(guò)后，春節(jié)才算真正結(jié)束了。春節(jié)是漢族最重要的節(jié)日，但是滿、蒙古，瑤、壯、白、高山、赫哲、哈尼、達(dá)斡爾、侗

5、、黎等十幾個(gè)少數(shù)民族也有過(guò)春節(jié)的習(xí)俗，只是過(guò)節(jié)的形式更有自己的民族特色，更蘊(yùn)味無(wú)窮。春節(jié)的英文介紹英文部分Spring FestivalThe 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. All people living away from home go back, becoming the busiest time for transpor

6、tation systems of about half a month from the Spring Festival. Airports, railway stations and long-distance bus stations are crowded with home returnees.The Spring Festival falls on the 1st day of the 1st lunar month, often one month later than the Gregorian calendar. It originated in the Shang Dyna

7、sty (c. 1600 BC-c. 1100 BC) from the peoples sacrifice to gods and ancestors at the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one.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 ne*t year. Of the

8、m, the most important days are Spring Festival Eve and the first three days. The Chinese government now stipulates people have seven days off for the Chinese Lunar New Year.Many customs accompany the Spring Festival. Some are still followed today, but others have weakened.On the 8th day of the 12th

9、lunar month, many families make laba porridge, a delicious kind of porridge made with glutinous rice, millet, seeds of Jobs tears, jujube berries, lotus seeds, beans, longan and gingko.The 23rd day of the 12th lunar month is called Preliminary Eve. At this time, people offer sacrifice to the kitchen

10、 god. Now however, most families make delicious food to enjoy themselves.After the Preliminary Eve, people begin preparing for the coming New Year. This is called Seeing the New Year in.Store owners are busy then as everybody goes out to purchase necessities for the New Year. Materials not only incl

11、ude edible oil, rice, flour, chicken, duck, fish and meat, but also fruit, candies and kinds of nuts. Whats more, various decorations, new clothes and shoes for the children as well as gifts for the elderly, friends and relatives, are all on the list of purchasing.Before the New Year comes, the peop

12、le completely clean the indoors and outdoors of their homes as well as their clothes, bedclothes and all their utensils.Then people begin decorating their clean rooms featuring an atmosphere of rejoicing and festivity. All the door panels will be pasted with Spring Festival couplets, highlighting Ch

13、inese calligraphy with black characters on red paper. The content varies from house owners wishes for a bright future to good luck for the New Year. Also, pictures of the god of doors and wealth will be posted on front doors to ward off evil spirits and welcome peace and abundance.The Chinese charac

14、ter 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, both being pronounced as fudaole. Whats more, two big red lanterns can be raised on both sides of the front door. Red paper-

15、cuttings can be seen on window glass and brightly colored New Year paintings with auspicious meanings may be put on the wall.People attach great importance to Spring Festival Eve. At that time, all family members eat dinner together. The meal is more lu*urious than usual. Dishes such as chicken, fis

16、h and bean curd cannot be e*cluded, for in Chinese, their pronunciations, respectively ji, yu and doufu, mean auspiciousness, abundance and richness. After the dinner, the whole family will sit together, chatting and watching TV. In recent years, the Spring Festival party broadcast on China Central

17、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.Waking up on New Year, everybody dresses up. First they e*tend greetings to their parents. Then each child will get money as a New Year g

18、ift, wrapped up in red paper. 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. Also, the shape of the dumpling is like gold ingot from ancient China. So people eat them and wish for money a

19、nd treasure.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. The first five days after the Spring Festival are a good time for relatives, friends, and classmates as well as col

20、leagues to e*change greetings, gifts and chat leisurely.Burning fireworks was once the most typical custom on the Spring Festival. People thought the spluttering sound could help drive away evil spirits. However, such an activity was completely or partially forbidden in big cities once the government took security, noise