端午节的来历和习俗

 　　The Dragon Boat Festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the lunar calendar. It is one of the three most important of the annual Chinese festivals. The other two are the Autumn Moon Festival and Chinese New Year.

　　端午节在每年阴历的五月初五与我们相遇，它是最重要的中国三大节日之一，另外两个为中秋节和农历春节。

　　The story of this colorful festival concerns a famous Chinese scholar-statesman named Chu Yuan. Who some three centuries before the birth of Christ, served the King of Chu during the Warring States period. As a loyal minister, Chu Yuan at first enjoyed the full confidence and respect of his sovereign. Eventually, through the intrigues¹ of his rivals, he was discredited².

　　这个丰富多彩的节日与我国历史上著名的诗人、政治家屈原息息相关。在公元前三世纪的战国时期，屈原是楚国的重臣。作为尊贵的三闾大夫，在端政初期，屈原充满自信并深得皇帝尊重，但随着政敌和小人的阴谋诋毁，屈原渐渐失去了信任

　　Chu Yuan was never able to regain³ the emperor's favor and on the fifth day of the fifth moon in the year 278 B.C.(Before Christ), at the age of 62, Chu Yuan clasped a stone to his chest and plunged⁴ into the Milo River in the Hunan Province.

　　屈原最终再没能赢得楚怀王及顷襄王的信任，最终在公元前278年五月初五在湖南省汨罗江怀石自沉江底。时年62岁。

　　Respecting the minister as an upright and honest man, the people who lived in the area jumped into their boats and rushed out in a vain search for him. This unsuccessful rescue attempt is a part of what the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates⁵ every year.

　　人们为了体现对于屈原先生高尚而诚洁的品格的尊敬，在汨罗江附近的人们乘着龙舟，寻找着屈原的遗体，虽然最终没有找到，但此次不成功的营救行动却成为端午节每年的纪念活动。

　　Probably the most exciting and interesting aspect of the festival is the racing⁶ of the Dragon Boats. These races not only symbolize⁷ the people's attempt to save Chu Yuan, they also demonstrate the Chinese virtues⁸ of cooperation and teamwork.

　　在端午节活动中最为激烈精彩的莫过于赛龙舟了，当然这已不仅仅是营救屈原的象征了，而是一种深切体现中华民族协同合作美好品质的证明。

　　Another activity of the Festival is the making and eating of a kind of dumpling called Tzungtzu (粽子). When it became known that Chu Yuan was gone forever, the people, living along the river, threw cooked rice into the water as a sacrifice to their dead hero. They wrapped rice in bamboo leaves, and stuffed(填满) it with ham, beans, bean paste(豆沙), salted egg yokes⁹, sausages, nuts, and vegetables.

　　另外一种端午独特的活动是制作和品尝粽子，当屈原离世的时候，汨罗江畔人民做好粽子祭奠他们心中的英雄，他们用竹叶把糯米包好，填满细肉、豆子、豆沙、咸蛋、香肠、干果和蔬菜等等。

　　To the Chinese the fifth lunar moon is more than just the Dragon Boat Festival. Since antiquity¹⁰, they have believed that this month is a pestilential and danger-fraught period. Children born in this month are said to be difficult to raise, and people tend to concentrate their efforts during this time attempting to protect their families from ills and misfortune. The day of the Dragon Boat Festival is customarily the time when cleaning and sanitation¹¹ are stressed. Most families hang calamus and artemisia above their doors, both as a decoration and as a preventive against pestilence¹².

　　在五月初五这一天，意义其实超过了赛龙舟吃粽子种种。在古代，人们认为五月是危险和病祸盛行的月份，新生儿也认为难以成活，因此这天人们会进行各种活动来保护自己的家庭远离不幸。端午节这天有很多习俗，清理打扫是重点，大多数家庭在门前悬挂菖蒲和艾草，这既是端午节的装饰也是驱除瘟疫的防范。

　　Ancient folk medicine such as realgar(雄黄酒)are added to the food eaten on the Festival day. This is believed to prevent disease and to promote a healthy digestive system The drinking of realgar in wine supposedly relieves the effects of poisons accumulated in human bodies.

　　古代人在这天还会少许饮一些雄黄的药酒，他们坚信雄黄酒可以祛除病痛，提高我们消化系统的健康。但现今科学证实，饮雄黄酒对于人体会有一定的毒害作用。

　　The sachets are very popular with children and they vie with each other to collect as many as possible. Children are not the only ones who collect Hsiang Pao. Older people are often given them as a symbol of respect, and they are highly prized because of the intricate and beautiful embroidery¹³ and that adorns¹⁴ them.

　　香包是在孩子们之间很流行的习俗，孩子们相互“攀比”是能够收集最多香包。其实收集香包的又何尝仅仅是孩子呢?老年人也经常收到香包作为一种受尊敬的象征，而且他们也会赞叹那些做工精致美丽的刺绣并装饰它们。

　　The Dragon Boat Festival is an entertaining and enjoyable event. It gives the observer an opportunity to glimpse a part of the rich Chinese cultural heritage

　　端午节是一种极具娱乐性和享受性的盛大节日，这么多习俗给予我们一个特殊的视角来领略我们伟大中国文化遗产的冰山一瞥。

1 intrigues   

n.密谋策划( intrigue的名词复数 )；神秘气氛；引人入胜的复杂情节v.搞阴谋诡计( intrigue的第三人称单数 )；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• He was made king as a result of various intrigues. 由于搞了各种各样的阴谋，他当上了国王。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Those who go in for intrigues and conspiracy are doomed to failure. 搞阴谋诡计的人注定要失败。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

3 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

4 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

5 commemorates   

n.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的名词复数 )v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A tombstone is erected in memory of whoever it commemorates. 墓碑是为纪念它所纪念的人而建的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A tablet commemorates his patriotic activities. 碑文铭记他的爱国行动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

7 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

8 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。

9 yokes   

轭( yoke的名词复数 )； 奴役； 轭形扁担； 上衣抵肩

参考例句：

• The rhombic drive mechanism has two "yokes". 菱形驱动机构有两个“轭”。
• Contact pressure increase by 1.5 –5 with same stems and yokes. 即使采用相同的阀杆和轭架，接触压力也能够增加1.5至5倍。

10 antiquity   

n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹

参考例句：

• The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity.博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
• There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity.有许多关于古代英雄的传说。

11 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

12 pestilence   

n.瘟疫

参考例句：

• They were crazed by the famine and pestilence of that bitter winter.他们因那年严冬的饥饿与瘟疫而折磨得发狂。
• A pestilence was raging in that area. 瘟疫正在那一地区流行。

13 embroidery   

n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品

参考例句：

• This exquisite embroidery won people's great admiration.这件精美的绣品，使人惊叹不已。
• This is Jane's first attempt at embroidery.这是简第一次试着绣花。

14 adorns   

装饰，佩带( adorn的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Have adornment, the building adorns the product of material. 有装饰，就有建筑装饰材料的制品。
• In this case, WALL-E adorns every pillar. 在这段时间，Wall-E占据了各个显要位置。