春节

湖北省荆门市掇刀中学 王丽供稿

What is the Spring Festival？春节知多少？

When is the Spring Festival?When did it start?春节在哪一天？它是什么时候开始的？

The Spring Festival falls on the 1st day of the 1st lunar month,often one month later than the Gregorian calendar.It’s said that it started in the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1100 BC).Then,people sacrificed to gods and ancestors at the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one.

春节在农历正月初一，通常比公历晚一个月。据说春节是从商朝开始的（公元前1600-公元前1100）。那个时候，人们在新年伊始的时候祭祀神和祖先。

How long does the festival last?春节持续多长时间？

Strictly speaking,the Spring Festival starts every year in the early days of the 12th lunar month and lasts till the mid of the 1st lunar month of the next year.Of them,the most important days are Spring Festival Eve and the first three days.The Chinese now have seven days off for the Chinese Lunar New Year.

严格说来，春节从腊月初开始，一直持续到第二年的正月中旬。这其中春节除夕和大年的头三天最重要。现在中国人都有七天的春节假期。

Laba porridge腊八粥

On the 8th day of the 12th lunar month,many families make laba porridge（腊八粥）,a delicious kind of porridge made from rice,millet（小米）,dates(红枣),lotus seeds（莲子米）,beans（大豆）,longan（龙眼），peanut（花生）and gingko（银杏）.

在农历腊月初八这一天，很多家庭都制作腊八粥。这是一种由大米、小米、红枣、莲子米、大豆、龙眼、花生和银杏做成的美味的粥。

Preliminary Eve小年除夕

The 23rd day of the 12th lunar month is called Preliminary Eve（小年除夕）.In old times，people offered sacrifice to the kitchen god.Now however,many families make themselves delicious food to enjoy.After the Preliminary Eve,people begin preparing for the coming New Year.

腊月二十三这一天被称为小年。在过去，人们在这一天祭祀灶神。但是，现在的人们往往在这一天给全家人做一顿丰盛的晚餐。小年过后，人们开始准备即将到来的新年了。

Preparations for the Spring Festival新年准备

买年货 special purchases for the Spring Festival；do Spring Festival shopping

Everybody goes out to buy necessities for the New Year.Edible oil （食用油）,rice,flour,chicken,duck,fish and meat,but also fruit,candies and kinds of nuts will be on the list.What’s more,decorations,new clothes and shoes for the children as well as gifts for the elderly,friends and relatives,are all on the list.

人们都出去准备新年的必需品了。食用油、大米、面粉、鸡、鸭、鱼、肉，水果、糖果、各种坚果都会在购物单上。除此之外，各种装饰品，孩子们的新衣服、新鞋子，还有老人们、亲戚朋友们的礼物也会在购物单里。

Thorough Cleaning大扫除

Before the New Year comes,all the people completely clean the indoors and outdoors of their homes as well as their furniture，clothes,bedclothes and all their utensils.

每临春节，家家户户都要进行一次大扫除。人们打扫屋里屋外，清洗家具，拆洗被褥，古称“扫年”。

扫尘习俗起源于尧舜时代，从古代驱除病疫的一种宗教仪式中演变而来。到了唐宋时期，“扫年”之风盛行。据宋人吴自牧《梦粱录》记载：“十二月尽……士庶家不论大小，俱洒扫门闾，去尘秽，净庭户……以祈新岁之安。”至今民间流行着“腊月二十四，掸尘扫房子”的谚语。

The Customs of Spring Festival春节习俗

Family Dinner年夜饭(团年饭)

New Year’s Eve is most important for the Chinese people.On that day,people look back to the past and look forward to the coming New Year.People will have a family dinner together.In old days,prisoners were allowed to go home for the Spring Festival.And we can see the importance of the family dinner for ancient Chinese.

除夕这一天对华人来说是极为重要的。这一天人们准备除旧迎新，吃团圆饭。在古代的中国，一些监狱官员甚至放囚犯回家与家人团圆过年，由此可见“团年饭”对古代中国人是何等重要。

Dishes such as chicken,fish and bean curd cannot be excluded,for in Chinese,their pronunciations,respectively “j”,“yu” and “doufu” mean auspiciousness,abundance and richness.鸡、鱼和豆腐是团年饭上必不可少的。因为他们的发音分别与“吉”“余”“福”相同。

守岁（staying-up）

The tradition of staying-up contains not only the attachment of the past times,but also best wishes for the coming new year.

守岁的习俗，既有对如水逝去岁月的惜别留恋之情，又有对来临的新年寄以美好希望之意。

【链接】传说古代有一个“祟”的小妖，黑身白手，他年年三十夜里出来，专门摸睡熟的小孩的脑门。小孩被摸后就会发高烧说梦话，退烧后就变成痴呆疯癫的傻子了。人们怕“祟”来伤害孩子，整夜点灯不睡，就叫“守祟”。

综上所述，通过将陶瓷造型以及陶瓷纹样应用到现代酒类包装设计之中，设计人员将能更好的借助这些元素表现出酒类产品自身所包含的文化背景和精神内涵，进而在市场上塑造出良好的品牌形象，获得消费者的欢迎。在后续发展过程中，相关设计人员以及酒类产品生产企业应进一步对现代包装设计与传统文化元素之间的融合进行研究和分析，通过外包装体现出酒的口感和人文特点等，进而在市场竞争之中取得良好的运营成效。

压岁钱gift money/new year lucky money

Gift money is the money given to children as a lunar New Year gift.People believed that gift money would bring good luck to the children.压岁钱是给孩子们新年礼物的钱。人们认为压岁钱可以给孩子们带来好运。

【链接】据说嘉兴府有一户姓管的人家，夫妻老年得子，十分珍爱。在大年三十晚上，为防止“祟”来侵扰一直逗孩子玩，小孩用红纸包了八枚铜钱，包了又拆，拆了又包，睡下以后，包着的八枚铜钱一直放在枕边。半夜里，一阵阴风吹过，黑矮的小人正要用手摸孩子的头突然孩子枕边射出一道金光，“祟”惊叫地逃跑了。于是这件事传扬开来，大家纷纷效仿，在大年夜里用红纸包上钱给孩子。因此人们把这种钱叫做“压祟钱”，“祟”与“岁”同音，日久天长，就被称为“压岁钱”了。

拜年pay New Year call

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.

新年早上，人们穿戴整齐。第一件事就是孩子们给父母拜年。每个孩子都会得到用红包（信封）装好的压岁钱。

Burning fireworks放鞭炮

Burning fireworks was once the most typical custom on the Spring Festival.People thought the sound could help drive away evil spirits.

链接：传说“年”是一种“头生独角，凶猛异常”的野兽，每到腊月最后一天，出来掠食噬人，威胁人类生命的安全。但这种野兽，人们在长期的实践中，发现它有“三怕”——怕声、怕光、怕红颜色，人们为了驱赶它，用红颜色的桃木砍成牌子挂在门口，称谓“桃符”。还有的燃烧砍来的青竹子，燃烧时发出“劈劈啪啪”的声音和光，“年”见了，只有远走快跑，第二天一早，大家安然无恙，互相拱手祝贺，“拜年”也就由此而来。

The Festival of Lanterns元宵节

The Festival of Lanterns takes place at the end of the Chinese New Year Celebration,on the fifteenth day of the first month.

元宵节是在正月十五这一天，也是春节庆祝的最后一天。

The special food for the Lantern Festival is Yuen Sin or Tong Yuen.The round shape of the dumpling is a symbol of wholeness,completeness and unity.

元宵节特别的食物是元宵（也称汤圆）。它的形状象征圆满、完整和团圆。

Vocabulary for the Spring Festival新年词汇集锦

对联poetic couplet;Spring Festival couplets

剪纸paper-cuts

年画New Year paintings

灯笼lantern:a portable light

烟花fireworks

爆竹firecrackers

“福”字 The Chinese character“fu”CelebrationsofSpringFestival

舞狮子Lion dance

耍龙灯The dragon dance

灯会Exhibit of lanterns

灯谜Riddles written on lanterns