春节介绍

The 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 transportation systems of about half a month from the Spring Festival. Airports, railway stations and long-distance bus stations are crowded with home returnees.

春节是中国人最重要的节日，是所有家庭成员聚在一起的时候，就像西方的圣诞节一样。所有住在外地的人都会回家，这将成为距离春节半个月左右交通系统最繁忙的时候。机场、火车站和长途汽车站挤满了返乡者。

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 Dynasty (c. 1600 BC-c. 1100 BC) from the people's sacrifice to gods and ancestors at the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one.

春节在农历一月一日，通常比公历晚一个月。它起源于商朝（约公元前1600年至公元前1100年），起源于人们在旧年结束和新一年开始时对神灵和祖先的祭祀。

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 next year. Of them, 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.

严格来说，每年的春节从农历十二月初开始，一直持续到次年的农历一月中旬。其中，最重要的日子是春节前夕和前三天。中国政府现在规定，中国农历新年有七天假期。

Many customs accompany the Spring Festival. Some are still followed today, but others have weakened.

春节有许多习俗。有些人今天仍在关注，但其他人已经减弱。

On the 8th day of the 12th lunar month, many families make laba porridge, a delicious kind of porridge made with glutinous rice, millet, seeds of Job's tears, jujube berries, lotus seeds, beans, longan and gingko.

在农历十二月初八，许多家庭都会做腊八粥，这是一种美味的粥，由糯米、小米、薏米籽、枣子、莲子、豆类、龙眼和银杏制成。

The 23rd day of the 12th lunar month is called Preliminary Eve. At this time, people offer sacrifice to the kitchen god. Now however, most families make delicious food to enjoy themselves.

农历12月23日称为初夜。此时，人们向灶神献祭。然而，现在大多数家庭都制作美味的食物来享受。

After the Preliminary Eve, people begin preparing for the coming New Year. This is called "Seeing the New Year in".

初夜过后，人们开始为即将到来的新年做准备。这就是所谓的“新年快乐”。

Store owners are busy then as everybody goes out to purchase necessities for the New Year. Materials not only include edible oil, rice, flour, chicken, duck, fish and meat, but also fruit, candies and kinds of nuts. What's 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.

商店老板那时很忙，因为每个人都出去购买新年必需品。材料不仅包括食用油、大米、面粉、鸡、鸭、鱼和肉，还包括水果、糖果和各种坚果。此外，各种装饰品、给孩子的新衣服和鞋子，以及给老人、朋友和亲戚的礼物都在购买清单上。

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

在新年到来之前，人们会彻底清洁家里的室内外，以及衣服、床上用品和所有用具。

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 Chinese 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.

然后，人们开始装饰他们干净的房间，营造出欢乐和喜庆的气氛。所有的门板都将贴上春联，用红纸上的黑字突出中国书法。内容从房主对美好未来的祝愿到新年的好运都不尽相同。此外，门神和财神的照片将张贴在前门，以驱邪，迎接和平与富足。

In addition to the Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures, ShouSui, lion dance, new year's Eve and other national customs, there are also some unique customs among the people of Jiangsu Province. Now the collection is for the readers.

春节的江苏民间，除了贴春联、挂年画、守岁、舞狮子、大拜年等和全国一样的习俗外，还有一些独特的习俗，现辑录数则以飨读者。

On the new year's eve of Suzhou people put cooked water chestnuts in their meals and dig them out when eating, which is called "digging Yuanbao". When friends and relatives come and go, they put in two green olives when making tea, which is called "drinking Yuanbao tea". Congratulations on getting rich.

苏州人除夕在饭内放进熟荸荠，吃时挖出来，谓之“掘元宝”，亲友来往，泡茶时要置入两只青橄榄，谓之喝“元宝茶”，恭喜发财。

On the morning of the first day of the new year of Wujin people, the portraits of ancestors were hung in the nave for tea and fruit and rice cakes. The whole family followed in turn with the new year's ceremony, which was called "worship shadow" They are not allowed to sweep the floor from home, for fear of sweeping out the "wealth" and "Ruyi". They can only sweep the floor from the outside.

武进人年初一早晨，将先祖画像悬挂中堂，供上茶果、年糕，一家老小依次行拜年礼，谓之“拜神影子。”他们扫地不许从家里往外扫，惟恐把“财气”、“如意”扫了出去，只能从外往里扫。

Jiangning people have the custom of "beating the spirit drum" during the Spring Festival, which is led by a big flag. Gongs and drummers beat the drum vigorously to boost their spirits. On the third day of the third year, they played the night drum, on the seventh day of the seventh year, and on the thirteenth to the fifteenth year, they played the shirtless drum. The atmosphere was warm.

江宁人有春节“打神鼓”之习俗，由大旗开路，锣鼓手浑身使劲地擂鼓助兴，初三“打夜鼓”、初七“上七鼓”，十三至十五打“赤膊鼓”，气氛热烈。

Nantong people have the custom of planting sesame stalks, Holly and cypress in front of their homes or halls. They choose to live a life of high flowering and green all the year round.

南通人有在家门口或堂前插芝麻秆、冬青、柏枝的习俗，取意生活开花节节高，长年青翠。

Huaiyin people also have the custom of "baking the head wind" for their children on the sixth day of the lunar new year. It's the night to take the child to the field to light a torch, dispel the pathogenic factors for the child, while baking and singing: "bake the head, wake up the brain, bake the feet, step by step, bake the belly without thinning, bake all over the body, never see the disease."

淮阴人还有初六给孩子“烤头风”之习俗。是夜带孩子到田头空地点燃火把，为孩子驱除病邪，边烤边唱：“烤烤头，醒醒脑，烤烤脚，步子矫，烤烤肚皮不拉稀，满身都烤遍，疾病永不见。”

On the eighth day of the beginning of the year, fishermen in Wuxi took a boat to the west mountain to worship the Yuwang temple, praying for the blessing of the God of water and offering sacrifices to the aodan Buddha, which was called "Shangyao". After the Yuwang temple was demolished, the custom gradually faded.

无锡渔民年初八有乘船去西山祭拜禹王庙之习，祈求水神保佑，祭鳌赕佛，称为“上尧”，禹王庙拆除后，此俗渐渐淡漠。

During the Spring Festival, there are many taboos in the old customs of Jiangsu, such as not using scissors at the beginning of the year to avoid the quarrel between mouth and tongue; not using kitchen knives to avoid the disaster of killing the body; not eating porridge, afraid of going out in the rain; not sweeping the floor, afraid of sweeping away the wealth and so on. With the popularization of scientific knowledge, many unscientific customs have been gradually forgotten; healthy and beneficial recreational activities have continued.

春节期间，江苏地区的旧习俗中还有许多禁忌，诸如年初一不动剪刀，免得口舌之争；不动菜刀，以免杀身之祸；不吃稀饭，怕出门遇雨；不扫地，怕把财运扫光等等。随着科学知识的普及，有很多不科学的习俗也逐渐被人淡忘；健康有益的娱乐休闲活动，却一直延续下来。

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of “happiness”, “wealth”, and “longevity”. On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is a great way to reconcile forgetting all grudges, and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.

在中国，有关庆祝中国新年的地区习俗和传统差异很大。人们会倾其所有买礼物、装饰、材料、食物和衣服。这也是一个传统，每个家庭都会彻底打扫房子，扫除所有的霉运，希望为即将到来的好运让路。窗户和门将用红色剪纸和对联装饰，主题是“幸福”、“财富”和“长寿”。在中国除夕夜，晚餐是一场与家人的盛宴。食物包括猪、鸭、鸡和甜食。这家人将以鞭炮结束夜晚。第二天一早，孩子们会向父母问好，祝他们新年健康快乐，并收到红包。中国的新年传统是一种很好的方式，可以消除所有的怨恨，真诚地祝大家平安快乐。

The Spring Festival, Chinese New Year is the most important festival for all of us. All family members get together on New Year'Eve to have a big meal. At the same time, everyone celebrates to each other. At about 12 o'clock, some parents and children light crackers. The whole sky is lighted brightly. We may watch the fireworks excitedly. How busy it is!

春节，中国的新年是我们所有人最重要的节日。所有的家庭成员都在除夕夜聚在一起吃大餐。同时，每个人都互相庆祝。大约12点，一些家长和孩子点燃了鞭炮。整个天空都亮了起来。我们可以兴奋地观看烟花。多忙啊！

On the first early morning of one year, many senior citizen get up early and they stick the reversed Fu or hang some couplets on the front door. Some house's windows are sticked by red paper cuttings.

一年中的第一个清晨，许多老年人早早起床，在前门贴上颠倒的福或挂上对联。有些房子的窗户上贴着红色的剪纸。

The Chinese New Year lasts fifteen days. So during the fifteen days, we always visit our relatives from door to door. At that time, children are the happiest because they can get many red packets form their parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and so on. The last day of the Chinese New Year is another festival. It names the Lantern Festival.

中国的新年持续十五天。所以在这十五天里，我们总是挨家挨户地拜访亲戚。在那个时候，孩子们是最快乐的，因为他们可以从父母、祖父母、叔叔、阿姨等那里得到很多红包。中国新年的最后一天是另一个节日。它命名为元宵节。

So the Chinese New Year comes to the end.

所以中国的新年就要结束了。

Preparations for the Chinese New Year in old China start well in advance of the New Year's Day. The 24th of the twelfth month is set aside for the annual housecleaning. Every household will give a thorough cleaning to their houses, clothes, bedclothes and all utensils, to bid farewell to the old year and to usher in the new. It is believed the cleaning sweeps away bad luck and makes the house ready for good luck to enter. All brooms and dustpans are put away on New Year's Eve so good luck cannot be swept away.

在旧中国，元旦之后就开始提前准备过年的东西了。十二月二十四是留给年度大扫除的。家家户户都会彻彻底底的打扫他们的房子，衣服，被褥和所有的器具，来辞旧迎新。据说，打扫可以赶走坏运气，使房子有好运气。在除夕夜，所有的扫帚和簸箕都会被放在一边，免得好运被扫走了。

Spring couplets, written in black ink on large vertical scrolls of red paper, are put on the walls or on the sides of the doors. These couplets, short poems written in classical Chinese, are expressions of good wishes for the family in the coming year. In addition, symbolic flowers and fruits are used to decorate the house. Animated door gods, scrolls of happiness, beautiful window flowers, colorful New Year paintings and flower-decorated red lanterns, all gives a happy and prosperous atmosphere of the Festival.

春联，用黑墨水写在垂直滚动大红纸上，是贴在墙壁上或在门边。这些对联和短诗是用繁体字写的，都是表达了对家庭在新的一年里的良好祝愿。此外，象征性的鲜花和水果是用来装饰房子。生动的门神，充满幸福的卷轴，美丽的窗花，丰富多彩的年画和用花装饰的红灯笼，都展示出了一个喜庆和热闹的节日气氛。

Storeowners are busy as everybody goes purchasing for the New Year, from edible oil, rice, chicken, fish and meat, to fruit, candies and nuts, and to various decorations, new clothes and shoes for children as well as gifts for friends and relatives.

当每个人都去采购新年食品时，店主们都忙得不可开交，从食用油、大米、鸡肉、鱼和肉，到水果、糖果和坚果，再到各种装饰品、给孩子们的新衣服和鞋子，以及给亲朋好友的礼物。