春节 鼠年

除夕Chuxi - Lunar New Year’s Eve 除夕夜是指每年农历腊月的最后一天的晚上，它与春节（正月初一）首尾相连。“除夕”中的“除”字是“去；易；交替”的意思，除夕的意思是“月穷岁尽”，人们都要除旧迎新，有旧岁至此而除，来年另换新岁的意思。 Chuxi is the last night of the year on Chinese lunar calendar. It connects two years and leads to the Spring Festival (the first day of the coming lunar year). In Chinese, Chu here means “gone, exchange, alternation”. So the word Chuxi indicates the end of a year. It’s the time for everyone to welcome the new year.  

探究除夕习俗, 在民间流传着一个有趣的故事： Talking about the custom of Chuxi, there was an interesting tale widely went around China: 太古时期，有一种凶猛的怪兽，散居在深山密林中，人们管它叫“年”。它的形貌狰狞，生性凶残，专食飞禽走兽、鳞介虫豸，让人谈“年”色变。后来，人们慢慢掌握了“年”的活动规律，它会每隔三百六十五天窜到人群聚居的地方,而且出没的时间都是在天黑以后，等到鸡鸣破晓，它便返回山林中去了。 Far back to ancient China, a fierce monster which called Nian, lived in the remote mountains. Nian looks ferocious and eats what ever creatures come to it. People got very frightened. Gradually, people got to know that Nian came to town each 365 days in a circle. And it always comes after dark, goes away at dawn.

算准了“年”肆虐的日期，百姓们便把这可怕的一夜视为关口来煞，称作“年关”，并且想出了一整套过年关的办法：每到这一天晚上，每家每户都提前做好晚饭，熄火净灶，再把鸡圈牛栏全部拴牢，把宅院的前后门都封住，躲在屋里吃“年夜饭”，由于这顿晚餐具有凶吉未卜的意味，所以置办得很丰盛，除了要全家老小围在一起用餐表示和睦团圆外，还须在吃饭前先供祭祖先，祈求祖先的神灵保佑，平安地度过这一夜，吃过晚饭后，谁都不敢睡觉，挤坐在一起闲聊壮胆。就逐渐形成了除夕熬年守岁的习惯。这天晚上一家人最重要的活动就是：祭祀、守岁和吃年夜饭。 Based on this observation, people see the night which Nian comes in as a col; they call that night “the end of the year”. In that night, each family cooks dinner in advance, puts out the fire in the kitchen, toggles the bullpen，looks all the doors and gates. Then, all the families hide in a room to have their dinner together. Because this dinner is to pray for good luck, it’s really like a feast. Before it actually starts, the whole family should worship their ancestors. After the dinner, nobody should sleep. Every one should stay together just in case of any danger. These, later on, came into the Chuxi traditions. So on Chuxi, the last night of a lunar year, Chinese people’s three main activities are-①fete, ②stay up all night and ③have the new year dinner.

祭祀——即祭祖，中国人过节总不会忘记自己家族中已故的先人，春节更不会例外。这时我们会供奉各种食物或鲜花以表心意，是普遍采用的仪式，祭祖的形式或许因宗教信仰而不同，但纪念祖先的意义却是相同的。 这个传统活动对孩子来说非常有意义。这个活动，不仅能使孩子对自己的家族有所了解，还能教育孩子尊敬各位先人和长辈。 Fete-ancestor worship, that is a basic part of all Chinese festivals, Spring Festival too. Usually, we present food and or flowers to ancestors. The ceremonials could vary according to different belief, but they all share the same significance. This tradition is very important for the younger generations especially. It helps them to understand the whole family and educates them to respect the elder.

守岁——守岁，就是在旧年的最后一天夜里不睡觉，熬夜迎接新一年的到来的习俗，也叫除夕守岁，俗名“熬年”。 Stay up all night on Chuxi-to welcome the coming year! “一夜连双岁，五更分二年”。这晚家人团圆，欢聚一堂，茶点瓜果放满一桌，大家一起辞旧迎新。在除夕的午夜，放爆竹是必不可少的一个娱乐活动。中国民间有“开门爆竹”一说。在新的一年到来之际，家家户户开门的第一件事就是燃放爆竹，以哔哔叭叭的爆竹声迎来新的一年。其起源很早，至今已有两千多年的历史。放爆竹创造出喜庆热闹的气氛，给人们带来了欢愉和吉利。 On Chuxi, every one will go back to the family to have the dinner and stay together to wait for the New Year. In the midnight, people set firecrackers and fireworks to welcome the New Year with the clack. It creates the real festival atmosphere.

守岁的习俗，既有对如水逝去的岁月含惜别留恋之情，又有对来临的新年寄以美好希望之意。古时守岁有两种含义：年长者守岁为“辞旧岁”，有珍爱光阴的意思；年轻人守岁，是为延长父母寿命。 The stay up tradition on one hand is to memorize the past and on the other to wish for the best in the future. For the elder, they cherish the time; for the youth, they pray for their parents’ health.

年夜饭——吃年夜饭，是春节家家户户最热闹愉快的时候。大年夜，丰盛的年菜摆满一桌，阖家团聚，围坐桌旁，共吃团圆饭，心头的充实感真是难以言喻。 The New Year Dinner-the Feast, is the warmest time of the whole family! 年夜饭，南北各地不同，有饺子、馄饨、长面、等，而且各有讲究。不过一般少不了鱼。“鱼”和“余”谐音，是象征“吉庆有余”，也喻示“年年有余”。最后多为一道甜食，福往后的日子甜甜蜜蜜。下面就是一些在春节的习俗中很重要的食物： What is the Dinner’s menu-could be very different from all parts of China. Fish is always on the list though. Fish in Chinese is Yu, it pronounces just like another character “余”, which means there is always something (good luck) left, you will never use it all. And dessert is always important too, which shows our wishes for sweetness and happiness. The following are some typical Chinese New Year food:

饺子：过年吃饺子，是取新旧交替“更岁交子”的意思。又因为饺子因为形似元宝，过年时吃饺子，也带有“招财进宝”的吉祥含义。有的人家包饺子时，还把几枚硬币包进去，说是谁先吃着了，来年财运好。 Dumpling-in Chinese, it called Jiao Zi, which means two years exchanging time. And the dumpling does look like a Yuan Bao, which is a kind of ancient currency (made of gold or silver). Some people may put coins in some of the dumplings and the person who got the coins will make a real fortune in the coming year!

馄饨：南方有些地方新年有吃馄饨习俗，是取其开初之意。传说世界生成以前是混沌状态，盘古开天辟地，才有了宇宙四方； Wonton-in some places of south China, people also eat wonton for the New Year.

长面：也叫长寿面。新年吃面，是预祝寿长百年。 Noodle-longevity noodle is also popular for New Year.

蒸年糕：因为谐音“年高”， 寄寓新年发财，年年高升。 Rice cake-in Chinese, rice cake is Nian Gao. The word can also mean get promoted and more wealthy.

贴 春 联

福 到 了！

压 岁 钱 红 包

放 鞭 炮！