VOA慢速英语2018 泰国庆祝传统佛教节日（在线收听）

Buddhist Festival in Thailand Celebrates Boys as ‘Princes’

A colorful festival in northern Thailand holds deep Buddhist meaning for young boys who are celebrated as “beloved princes.”

泰国北部有一个色彩斑斓的节日，这个节日对于男童来说富含深厚的佛教含义，人们会庆祝男童变为“亲爱的王子”。

The festival is held each year in the mountain town of Mae Hong Son. It ends with a parade in which the boys - some as young as seven - are carried through town on their fathers' shoulders. They are dressed in brightly colored clothes and highly detailed headpieces.

每年都会在山城夜丰颂(Mae Hong Son)庆祝这个节日。节日的尾声会有一个男童的列队，列队中最小的只有7岁。这些男童会坐在父亲的肩膀上环游整个山城。他们身着艳丽，头饰细致精美。

Some villagers join the parade. They dance, beat drums and play other instruments.

一些村民会加入列队。他们会唱歌敲鼓，配以其他乐器。

The celebration is part of an ancient ceremony that ends with the boys becoming novice Buddhist monks.

这个节日是一项古代仪式的部分内容，这个古代仪式的末尾，男童们会成为初级的剃度和尚。

The boys belong to the Shan ethnic group, which lives mainly in Shan state in neighboring Myanmar. The group also spreads into parts of Thailand, China and Laos.

参加这个节日的男童都是掸族的，这个民族主要生活在泰国邻国缅甸的掸邦。这个民族还有部分成员分布在泰国、中国、老挝的部分地区。

About 50 boys take part in the festival. It is split into different parts during a one-week period. It takes place just before the traditional Thai New Year in April, during which most villagers are home and children are on a break from school.

今年有近50名男童参加了这个节日。这个为期一周的节日分隔成了不同的部分。这个节日正好在4月传统泰国新年的前面，而新年期间，大多数村民都会在家待着，而孩子们也会放假。

The ceremony is meant to represent different periods in Buddha’s early life as a prince. This is why the boys are called “beloved princes.”

这个仪式是为了表现佛祖最初作为王子的不同时期。这也是人们将男童成为“亲爱的王子”的原因。

First, the boys have all their hair cut off. Their bodies are washed in flower-scented water. Then, they are dressed in white and have colorful designs drawn on their faces. The makeup is thought to have protective qualities.

首先，要给男童剃头。要在充满花香的水里给男童的身体沐浴。随后，会让男童们身着白色，脸上装饰彩色的设计。同时，彩妆也有保护皮肤的作用。

At this point, the boys are considered to have reached a partly divine state. They are not permitted to touch the ground or walk by themselves until the festival is over.

在这个当口，男童们就进入了一个颇为神圣的阶段了：他们不可以触碰地面，在节日结束之前也不可以独自行走。

The process is seen as bringing honor to the boys’ families. Many parents must save money for a long time to pay for costs related to the ceremony. Most families also accept donations from other family members and friends.

人们认为，这个流程可以给男童们的家庭带来荣耀。很多父母都要攒很久的钱才能支付得起与这个仪式有关的费用。大多数家庭还接受了其他家庭成员和朋友的捐助。

Kasen Kongtui is a Thai trader. He supported one of the boys, 12-year-old Poo Sit. The boy is a family friend.

卡森(Kasen Kongtui)是一名泰国商人。他就赞助了一位12岁的男童，这名男童的名字普(Poo Sit)，是他的一位家族朋友。

“I was overwhelmed with happiness and was excited about the ceremony,” Kasen told the Reuters news agency. He added that the boy told him, “’Grandfather, I want to become a novice!’ So we helped him. I did it to make merit.”

对于这个仪式，我是满心欢喜和激动的，卡森在接受路透社采访时如是说道。他补充说，这名他资助的男童对他说，爷爷，我想成为一名和尚！于是，我资助了他。我这样做是为了积德。

After becoming novice monks, the boys live and study at Buddhist temples for a few months during school holidays.

在成为初级剃度和尚之后，男童们会在学校放假的几个月里待在佛教寺庙生活和学习。

August is an 8-year-old boy who completed the ceremony. He spoke to Reuters about his favorite part. “I liked having my head shaved,” he said. He was dressed all in red and gold, with a large hat holding fresh pink flowers.

奥古斯特今年8岁，他已经完成了这项仪式。他在接受路透社采访时谈到了自己最喜欢的部分。他说，我喜欢剃头的感觉。他身着红金两色，带着大大的帽子，上面布满了鲜粉的花朵。

“When I saw my friends doing this, I decided to become a novice,” he said. “I want to be the Buddha’s representative. I want to be a good person.”

他说，我看到我的一些朋友经历了这个仪式，我也想做一名剃度和尚。我想成为佛祖的一名代表，我想做个好人。

Words in This Story

drum – n. musical instrument made with a thin layer of skin or plastic stretched over a round frame and that is played by hitting the skin or plastic with sticks or with your hands

novice – n. new member of a religious group who is preparing to become a monk or nun

monk – n. member of a religious community of men who usually promise to remain poor, unmarried, and separated from the rest of society

divine – adj. relating to or coming from god

overwhelmed – adj. having too many things to deal with

merit making – n. a Buddhist practice in which people perform regular good deeds in order to increase spirituality and become happier in life.