VOA慢速英语--New Year's Traditions Around the World

 

Hello and welcome to VOA Learning English.

Most of us here in the United States are celebrating the coming of a New Year. At the stroke of midnight on January 1, we rang in 2018!

Many cultures follow different calendars and celebrate the New Year at different times. The Lunar New Year is one example.

No matter when you celebrate, there are many traditions around the world for ringing in the New Year.

Here is a look at a few of them:

Chasing away bad luck

Many cultures have traditions meant to scare off demons¹ and bad luck. This often involves using fire or loud noises – or both – often in the form of fireworks!

But there are other ways people do it, too.

In Scotland, for example, people hold bonfire celebrations. And men from villages walk through the streets swinging giant blazing fireballs over their heads. These fireballs represent the sun and they are supposed to clean the coming year.

In Panama, people use bonfires to burn likenesses of popular celebrities² and political figures. These doll-like effigies³ represent the old year. Burning them brings a fresh start for the New Year.

Of course, some traditions meant to avoid bad luck do not involve fire at all.

For example, just before the New Year, people in Denmark find the highest surface they can and jump from it as the New Year starts. This is so they can jump into January! The hope is that they leave behind the bad spirits and bad luck of the previous and enter a New Year full of promise and new beginnings.

Some Finnish people like to drop molten tin into cold water. Then they look at the shape and try to figure out meaning from it. For example, if it looks like a train, perhaps the New Year will bring travel. If it looks similar to a heart, perhaps it means the New Year will be filled love and romance!

Food for good luck

Many cultures have certain foods that are said to bring good luck.

In the southern part of the United States, people often eat black-eyed peas and pork for good luck in the New Year. In other parts of the U.S., people eat sauerkraut with pork sausage on New Year’s Day.

In Spain and some other countries, as the clock strikes midnight, people eat 12 grapes. These 12 grapes represent the 12 months of the year. And eating them all in the first 12 seconds of the New Year guarantees that the year will be filled with good luck.

In the Philippines, many people eat and display 12 round fruits to bring them a prosperous year.

And in Japan, people eat soba noodles on New Year’s Eve. While they eat they try not to break the long noodles -- which represent longevity⁴.

Clothing traditions

To start the New Year off on the right foot, many people like to wear new clothing. But some traditions take it a step farther than that.

In Japan, for example, people who believe in Buddhism⁵ may dress up like the zodiac animal for the coming year. Then they go to a temple to, literally⁶, ring in the New Year. At Buddhist⁷ temples, monks⁸ will ring a bell 108 times, one for each humanly sin.

In Romania, there is a tradition that involves dressing⁹ up in a bear costume and going from house to house. If this won’t scare off evil spirits, I don’t know what will!

People in the Philippines may wear clothing with circular design, or polka dots. The circles represent coins, which stand for wealth in the New Year.

In Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela, some people wear colorful underwear on New Year’s Eve. The most popular colors are red and yellow. Red is supposed to bring you love; yellow is supposed to bring you money.

Turkish people are also said to wear red underwear clothing for good luck.

Make a New Year’s resolution

Many use the start of New Year as a time to try something new or change something about themselves. The New Year is a perfect time to turn over a new leaf, or to change yourself for the better. That is why many people have the tradition of making a New Year’s Resolution. They are usually about living healthier or having more success and fulfillment in life.

Here are 10 very common New Year’s resolutions:

Lose weight

Exercise more

Keep in touch with family and friends

Quit smoking

Save money

Cut out stress

Learn something new

Drink less alcohol

Get more sleep

Travel more

In the New Year, you can wipe the slate¹⁰ clean. This means you can simply wipe away all the mistakes you made from the previous year as you would chalk on a slate board. Or maybe your life is just as you’d like it. As we say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

No matter how you celebrate, all of us here at Learning English wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2018!

I’m Anna Matteo.

And I'm Bryan Lynn.

Happy New Year!

These are just a handful of traditions. Tell us about a New Year’s tradition in your culture in the comments section!

Words in This Story

stroke of midnight - expression to describe the exact moment of time change from one day to the next.

bonfire – n. a large fire built in the open air

effigy¹¹ – n. a large doll made to look like someone who is disliked or hated : effigies = plural¹²

fresh start a chance to start something anew without prejudice

molten – adj. fused or liquefied by heat

tin – n. a soft faintly bluish-white lustrous¹³ low-melting crystalline metallic¹⁴ element that is malleable¹⁵ and ductile¹⁶ at ordinary temperatures and that is used especially in containers, as a protective coating, in tinfoil¹⁷, and in soft solders¹⁸ and alloys¹⁹

prosperous – adj. marked by success or economic well-being²⁰

longevity – n. a long duration of individual life

literally – adv. in a way that uses the ordinary or primary meaning of a term or expression

wipe – v. to clean or dry by rubbing

slate – n. a tablet (as of slate) used for writing on : a written or unwritten record (as of deeds) <started with a clean slate>

1 demons   

n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念

参考例句：

• demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
• He is plagued by demons which go back to his traumatic childhood. 他为心魔所困扰，那可追溯至他饱受创伤的童年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

3 effigies   

n.（人的）雕像，模拟像，肖像( effigy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• stone effigies in the church 教堂里的石雕像
• On 5 November British children burn effigies of Guy Fawkes. 每逢11月5日英国儿童都焚烧盖伊．福克斯的模拟像。 来自辞典例句

4 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

5 Buddhism   

n.佛教（教义）

参考例句：

• Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
• Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。

6 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

7 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

8 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

10 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

11 effigy   

n.肖像

参考例句：

• There the effigy stands,and stares from age to age across the changing ocean.雕像依然耸立在那儿，千秋万载地凝视着那变幻无常的大海。
• The deposed dictator was burned in effigy by the crowd.群众焚烧退位独裁者的模拟像。

12 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

13 lustrous   

adj.有光泽的；光辉的

参考例句：

• Mary has a head of thick,lustrous,wavy brown hair.玛丽有一头浓密、富有光泽的褐色鬈发。
• This mask definitely makes the skin fair and lustrous.这款面膜可以异常有用的使肌肤变亮和有光泽。

14 metallic   

adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的

参考例句：

• A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
• He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。

15 malleable   

adj.(金属)可锻的;有延展性的；(性格)可训练的

参考例句：

• Silver is the most malleable of all metals.银是延展性最好的金属。
• Scientists are finding that the adult human brain is far more malleable than they once thought.科学家发现成人大脑的可塑性远超过他们之前认识到的。

16 ductile   

adj.易延展的，柔软的

参考例句：

• Steel in this class is tough，ductile and easily machined.这种钢强韧，延展性好，而且容易加工。
• The metal is very hard and strong and less ductile than before.金属会非常坚硬、坚固，并比以前减少了韧性。

17 tinfoil   

n.锡纸，锡箔

参考例句：

• You can wrap it up in tinfoil.你可以用锡箔纸裹住它。
• Drop by rounded tablespoon onto tinfoil.Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.用大餐勺把刚刚搅拌好的糊糊盛到锡纸上，烘烤9至11分钟，直到变成金黄色。

18 solders   

n.焊料，焊锡( solder的名词复数 )v.（使）焊接，焊合( solder的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• We fused the pipes with solders. 我们用焊锡熔接管子。 来自辞典例句
• Solders ate a great number of potatoes during World War II. 第二次世界大战期间的士兵吃了很多的土豆。 来自互联网

19 alloys   

n.合金( alloy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This is essentially a development of thoria dispersion strengthened nickel alloys. 这基本上是用二氧化钍弥散强度化的镍基合金。 来自辞典例句
• The lack of deep hardening in these alloys negates their use. 这些合金缺乏深层硬化能力使它们无法利用。 来自辞典例句

20 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。