世界各地的新年庆祝习俗（二）

◎熊艳婷

世界各地的人们都以其别出心裁、独具特色的方式迎接新年的到来，本文将带领我们继续了解一些国家的新年庆祝活动，这些活动带有浓郁的地域特色，形式丰富多彩。

Britain: welcome relatives and friends, drill wells

In Britain, the New Year doesn’t seem to be as grand as Christmas, but according to tradition, every family will have a big New Year’s Eve1)banquet.At midnight, people began the traditional New Year’s greetings, with each family opening their doors and bringing out prepared buns to entertain the guests.The first visitor is usually regarded as a symbol of luck in the New Year. It is said that the first person to get water from a well in the countryside of central England is the blessed one in the New Year, and the water is auspicious, so people2)scrambleto carry buckets and head for the well early in the morning of the New Year.

Japan: listen to the clock, tell the dream, go vegetarian

In Japan, there is a national holiday from December 29 to January 3. On New Year’s Eve, people sit still and listen to the “New Year’s Eve clock”, and then go to bed early. Early in the New Year, families sit around and tell each other about their dreams the night before, so as to predict the good and bad luck of the New Year. On that morning, people eat traditional breakfasts such as sugar taro and soba noodles, drink Tusu wine, and then visit shrines or visit relatives and friends. For the next three days, people will be3)vegetarianand pray for blessings.

France: drink up the wine, watch the wind divination

On New Year’s Eve, the French family get together and drink champagne around the table. The French believe that the weather on New Year’s Day heralds the coming year. In the early morning of the New Year,they go to the streets to look at the direction of the wind to predict: the south wind is a sign of good weather, and this year is safe and hot; when the west wind is blowing,there is a bumper harvest year for fishing and milking; when the east wind blows, the fruit will be high; and when the north wind blows, it is a bad harvest year.

Italy: smash everything, burn the stove

The New Year is an important traditional festival in Italy. Italians believe that the sound of New year’s Eve can4)exorciseevil spirits and achieve New Year’s happiness, so people keep setting off firecrackers that night and5)wantonlybreak everything that can be broken, from small dishes to jar altars, and throw fragments into the street. On New Year’s Day, every family will light a fire in the house, and it can’t be6)extinguishedfor a whole day. Italians believe that fire comes from the sun, and if the fire breaks in the New Year,it will not see the light of day in the coming year and will lead to bad luck.

Spain: eat twelve grapes

In Spain, when the bell begins to chime twelve o’lock on New Year’s Eve, people scramble to eat grapes. If you can eat 12 grapes according to the bell, it symbolizes that every month of the new year is flat, and each grape has a different meaning,such as the first “peace”, the fifth “harmony”,the sixth “refuge”, the seventh “dispel disease”. At the same time, most Spaniards carry a gold or copper coin as a sign of good luck.

Canada: build a snow wall

Canadians have always regarded pure snow as an auspicious symbol. When the New Year comes, people sweep the snow along the road or in the yard around their homes to build a snow wall. They believe that this can prevent the invasion of evil spirits and bring happiness to the new year.

1) banquetn.宴会

2) scramblev.争夺

3) vegetariann.素食者

4) exorcisev.驱除

5) wantonlyadv.肆意地

6) extinguishv.熄灭

英国：迎亲友，打井水

在英国，新年似乎没有圣诞节那么隆重，但是根据传统，家家户户都会吃一顿丰盛的新年晚宴。待到午夜降临，人们就开始了传统的拜年活动，每个家庭都把大门打开，拿出早已经准备好的小圆面包招待客人。第一个来客通常被认为是新的一年运气的象征。据说新年第一个在英国中部乡村打到井水的人就是新一年的有福之人，打来的水则是吉祥之水，所以新年一大早，人们就争先恐后地拎着桶，向井边走去。

日本：听钟，述梦，吃素

在日本，从12 月29 日到1 月3 日，全国统一休假。除夕夜，人们静坐聆听“除夕钟”，而后便早早上床入梦。新年一大早，一家人围坐在一起，互相讲述前一夜的梦，以此来占卜新一年的吉凶。新年早上，人们要吃砂糖芋艿、荞麦面等传统早餐，喝屠苏酒，然后去神庙参拜，或者走亲访友。之后一连三天，人们会吃素祈福。

法国：喝藏酒，看风占卜

除夕夜，法国人合家团聚，围桌饮香槟酒。法国人认为新年这一天的天气预示着新一年的年景。新年清晨，他们上街看风向来占卜：刮南风，预示风调雨顺，这一年会是平安而炎热；刮西风，则预示有一个捕鱼和挤奶的丰收年；刮东风，水果将高产；刮北风，则是歉收年。

意大利：打碎一切，燃炉旺火

新年是意大利的重要传统节日。意大利人认为，新年前夜响声连天可以驱邪，求得新年如意，所以人们当晚就不停地燃放烟花爆竹，还肆意打碎一切可以打碎的东西，小到碗碟，大到缸坛，并且把碎片统统抛到街上。新年这一天，家家户户都要在屋子里燃一炉旺火，而且整整一天不能熄灭。意大利人认为，火来自太阳，新年断了火，来年就会不见天日，会招来厄运。

西班牙：吃12 颗葡萄

在西班牙，当除夕夜12 点的钟声刚开始敲响，人们便争着吃葡萄。如果能循着钟声吃下12 颗葡萄，便象征着这年的每个月都平安，而且每颗葡萄还有不同的含义，如第一颗“平安”、第五颗“和睦”、第六颗“避难”、第七颗“祛病”……同时，大多数西班牙人身上会携一枚金币或铜币以示吉祥。

加拿大：筑雪墙

加拿大人一直把纯洁的雪视为吉祥的象征，每逢新年到来之际，人们就把道路旁或院子中的积雪扫到自家住宅周围，筑起一道雪墙。他们相信，这样可以阻止邪魔入侵，为新的一年带来幸福。