傳統節慶 春節 Chinese New Year 張舒婷

起源傳說 - 年獸 相傳在遠古時代，有一種兇猛的怪獸叫「年」。有一次 大年三十，「年」又出 山為害。牠來到一個村莊，被一家門口曬的大紅衣服嚇跑了;到了另一處，則被燈光嚇得抱頭鼠竄。 於是人們掌握了「年」怕響聲、怕紅色、怕火光的弱點。 此後，每至年末歲首，人們就放鞭炮來代替 甩牧鞭，用貼紅聯來代替大紅衣服，用掛紅燈、點旺火來代替火光 ，久而久之，就形成了過年的種種習俗。

Origin Legend – Nian In Chinese mythology, a Nian is a beast. Once each spring, on or around Chinese New Year, it comes out of hiding to attack people, especially children. the Nian is sensitive to loud noises and is afraid of the color red. After the attack, the villagers came up with a plan where drums, plates and empty bowls were hit and firecrackers were thrown, causing loud banging sounds that would scare off the Nian.

春節的食物 – 年夜飯 是農曆除夕（每年最後一天）的一餐，目的是在過年前一家團聚並共度新春，傳統上年夜飯多在除夕祭祖後食用。 在年夜飯中，每一道菜色都有他的涵義，其中魚是每家的餐桌上都必須要有的。

春節的食物 – 年夜飯 A reunion dinner is held on New Year's Eve where members of the family, near and far away, get together for the celebration. The New Year's Eve dinner is very sumptuous and traditionally includes fish.

春節的食物 – 年夜飯 魚有「餘」的諧音，餐桌上的魚在這一天不用吃完，因為人們相信如此的作法能夠讓每年都有盈餘。

春節的食物 – 年夜飯 In some areas, fish is included, but not eaten completely, as the Chinese phrase “May there be surpluses every year."

春節的食物 – 年夜飯 魚　yú 年年有餘　nián nián yǒu yú

春節的習俗 – 紅包 紅包是將金錢放置紅色封套內做成的一種小禮物。送紅包是中國傳統習俗。 最常見的是在各種喜慶場合，例如春節、婚禮、生辰等致送金錢作為禮物時都會使用。 紅色在中國文化內代表喜慶。紅包內一般會放入有吉祥數字的金錢，例如有8字，或以雙數結尾的數目。

春節的習俗 – 紅包 Red envelopes or red packets are passed out during the Chinese New Year's celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is also common for adults or young couples to give red packets to children. The number 8 is considered lucky.

春節的習俗 – 紅包 紅包　hóng bāo 壓歲錢　Ya Sui Qian

春節的習俗 – 春聯 春聯是一種在春節時使用的傳統裝飾物，把賀年的吉利字詞用漂亮的書法，寫在紙上而成，一般是貼在牆、門之上 ，其中寫成對聯的又叫春聯。

春節的習俗 – 春聯 Decorations generally convey a New Year greeting. They are not advertisements. Chinese calligraphy posters show Chinese idioms. Other decorations include a New year picture, Chinese knots, and paper cutting and couplets.

春節的習俗 – 春聯 春聯　chūn lián

春節的習俗 – 拜年 春節期間，民眾見面都要說恭賀話。 相傳是因為當村民趕走年獸之後紛紛出門發現自己的左右鄰居都安好，所以以「恭喜」互相祝賀。

春節的習俗 – 拜年 The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as 吉祥話 (jí xiáng hùa) or loosely translated as auspicious words or phrases. Some of the most common examples may include.

拜年時的吉祥話 吉祥話 jí xiáng hùa 新年快樂 xīn nián kuài lè (Happy new year.) 恭喜發財　gōng xǐ fā cái (Congratulations and be prosperous ) 歲歲平安　suì suì píng ān (Everlasting peace year after year)