春节

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。

Christmas arouses increasing attention year by year in China. Christmas cards become popular with students. People hold Christmas parties and exchange Christmas girts. A lot or TV and radio programs about Christmas are on. Meanwhile the Spring Festival is less appealing to youngsters. Thus some people wonder whether Christmas will replace the Spring Festival.

圣诞节在中国引起了越来越多的关注。圣诞卡受到学生的欢迎。人们举行圣诞派对，交换圣诞礼物。很多关于圣诞节的电视和广播节目都在播放。与此同时，春节对年轻人的吸引力降低了。因此，一些人怀疑圣诞节是否会取代春节。

This worry is fairly unnecessary. Why? One reason lies that Christmas only affects Christians, college students and joint-venture workers. Another reason is that Christmas is mostly celebrated in cities. Few people in countryside show extreme interest in this exotic festival. By contrast, the Spring Festival is the most influential traditional festival in every family.

这种担心完全没有必要。为什么？原因之一是圣诞节只影响基督徒、大学生和合资企业工人。另一个原因是圣诞节大多在城市庆祝。农村里很少有人对这个异国情调的节日表现出极大的兴趣。相比之下，春节是每个家庭中最具影响力的传统节日。

I think, it is natural that with increasing exchanges with the West, a lot of Western holidays have been gradually introduced into China. For us Chinese we should never neglect or even discard our own traditional festivals. For centuries Chinese have observed this traditional holiday to welcome the beginning of a new year. And we will treasure the Spring Festival forever.

我认为，随着与西方交流的增加，很多西方节日逐渐被引入中国，这是很自然的。对我们中国人来说，我们不应该忽视甚至抛弃自己的传统节日。几个世纪以来，中国人一直在庆祝这个传统节日，以迎接新的一年开始。我们将永远珍惜春节。

The Chinese New Year is now popularly known as the Spring Festival because it starts from the begining of Spring (the first of the twenty-four terms in coordination with the changes of Nature). Its origin is too old to be traced. Several explanations are hanging around. All agree however that the word Nian which in modern Chinese solely means "year" was originally the name of a monster beast that started to prey on people the night before the beginning of a new year.

中国的新年现在被普遍称为春节，因为它从春天开始（二十四个节气中的第一个，与自然的变化相协调）。它的起源太古老了，无法追溯。有几种解释流传着。然而，所有人都同意，“年”这个词在现代汉语中仅表示“年”，最初是一种怪兽的名字，它在新年开始的前一天晚上开始捕食人们。

One legend goes that the beast Nian had a very big mouth that would swallow a great many people with one bite. People were very scared. One day an old man came to their rescue offering to subdue Nian. To Nian he said "I hear say that you are very capable but can you swallow the other beasts of prey on earth instead of people who are by no means of your worthy opponents?" So it did swallow many of the beasts of prey on earth that also harassed people and their domestic animals from time to time.

一个传说是，年兽有一张很大的嘴，一口就能吞下很多人。人们非常害怕。一天，一位老人来到他们的救援现场，准备制服年。他对念说：“我听说你很有能力，但你能吞下地球上的其他猛兽，而不是那些根本不是你的对手的人吗？”因此，它确实吞下了地球上的许多猛兽，这些猛兽也不时骚扰人们及其家畜。

After that the old man disappeared riding the beast Nian. He turned out to be an immortal god. Now that Nian is gone and other beasts of prey are also scared into forests people begin to enjoy their peaceful life. Before the old man left he had told people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at each year's end to scare away Nian in case it sneaked back again because red is the color the beast feared the most.

之后，老人骑着年兽消失了。他原来是一位不朽的神。现在，年已经走了，其他猛兽也被吓进了森林，人们开始享受他们平静的生活。在老人离开之前，他曾告诉人们每年年底都要在门窗上贴上红色的纸装饰物，以防年兽再次溜回来，因为红色是野兽最害怕的颜色。

From then on the tradition of observing the conquest of Nian is carried on from generation to generation. The term "Guo Nian" which may mean "Survive the Nian" becomes today "Celebrate the (New) Year" as the word "guo" in Chinese having both the meaning of "pass-over" and "observe". The custom of putting up red paper and firing fire-crackers to scare away Nian should it have a chance to run loose is still around. However people today have long forgotten why they are doing all this except that they feel the color and the sound add to the excitement of the celebration.

从那时起，观察年征服的传统代代相传。“过年”一词可能意味着“熬过年”，今天变成了“庆祝（新年）”，因为汉语中的“过”一词既有“过去”的意思，也有“观察”的意思。如果年岁有机会逃跑，人们会用红纸和鞭炮来吓跑年岁的习俗仍然存在。然而，今天的人们早就忘记了他们为什么要这么做，除了他们觉得颜色和声音增加了庆祝活动的兴奋。

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。

Far and away the most important holiday in China is Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year. To the Chinese people it is as important as Christmas to people in the West. the dates for this annual celebration are determined by the lunar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, so the timing of the holiday varies from late January to early February.

中国最重要的节日是春节，也就是中国的新年。对中国人来说，这和圣诞节对西方人一样重要。这个一年一度的庆祝活动的日期是由阴历而不是公历决定的，因此节日的时间从1月下旬到2月上旬不等。

To the ordinary Chinese, the festival actually begins on the eve of the lunar New Year's Day and ends on the fifth day of the first month of the lunar calendar. But the 15th of the first month, which normally is called the Lantern Festival, means the official end of the Spring Festival in many parts of the country.

对普通中国人来说，这个节日实际上从农历新年前夕开始，到农历正月初五结束。但正月十五（通常称为元宵节）意味着中国许多地区春节的正式结束。