欧美人文风情第205篇:中国新年知多少

 Every winter, a sixth of the world's population, including more than one billion Chinese citizens, celebrate Chinese New Year.  每年冬天，全世界六分之一的人口，包含超过十亿中国人，庆祝中国新年。

The 15-day festival, also known as Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival,  这持续十五天的节日，又称作农历新年或春节，

kicks off on the second new moon after the winter solstice,  在冬至后的第二个新月开始，

or according to the Gregorian calendar in use since the 16th century, sometime between January 21 and February 19.  或根据十六世纪开始使用的公历，中国新年大约落在一月二十一号和二月十九号间。

But Chinese New Year goes back a lot further than the 16th century 不过中国新年可回溯至十六世纪更久远以前

it's based on the ancient Chinese calendar, which existed as early as the 14th century BC.  它是以中国古老历法为根据，那早在西元前十四世纪就存在。

Even though China adopted the Western calendar in 1912 and began marking January 1 as the official start of the year,  即使中国在1912年采用西洋历法，并开始将一月一号标为正式的一年之始，

Chinese New Year remains² the country's most important social and economic holiday. 中国新年仍是国家最重要的社交和商业节庆。

Over the centuries, holiday festivities have spread far beyond China and now take place all over the world.  几世纪来，节日庆典已远布至中国以外的地方，如今在全世界举行。

In fact, the biggest celebration outside of China takes place in the United States—San Francisco to be exact.  事实上，中国外最大的庆典就在美国举行——准确点说是在旧金山。

Ever since the Gold Rush in the 1840s and '50s brought an influx³ of Chinese immigrant⁴ workers to Northern California,  自1840和1850年代的淘金热将大量中国移工带到北加州后，

the city has held a massive⁵ parade for Chinese New Year. 旧金山这城市就为中国新年举办盛大的游行活动。

According to Chinese tradition, each year is named for one of the 12 animals associated with the Chinese zodiac.  依照中国传统，每年是以和中国生肖有关的十二种动物之一命名。

Two of those animals, the dragon and the rabbit, are particularly important to Chinese New Year.  那其中两种动物，龙和兔，对中国新年特别重要。

You'll see dragons everywhere, because the Chinese are said to have descended⁶ from the mythical⁷ creature.  你在任何地方都会看到龙，因为中国人据说是这种玄妙生物的后代。

And on the 15th day of the New Year, known as the Festival of Lanterns,  而在新年的第十五天，称作灯节，

many people display paper lanterns in the shape of rabbits. These symbolize⁸ a Chinese goddess named Chang'e,  许多人展示出以兔为形的纸灯笼。这些象征一位名为嫦娥的中国女神，

who is said to have brought a rabbit along with her when she jumped on the moon. 据说她在跳到月亮时带了只兔子一起。

To prepare for Chinese New Year, lots of people clean out their houses to rid them of ghosts and bad luck associated with the old year.  为了准备过中国新年，许多人打扫房子以除去和旧的一年有关的鬼魂和厄运。

They might get a new haircut and clothes, settle disagreements, or pay off debts in order to start the year fresh. 他们可能会剪个新发型和买新衣、化解纷争，或还清债务好有个新年新气象。

In this way, the Chinese New Year customs resemble the Western custom of New Year's resolutions. 就这方面，中国新年的习俗和西方的新年新希望习俗相似。

In the late-night hours of Chinese New Year's Eve, many families make dumplings together.  在除夕的深夜，许多家庭会一起包饺子。

This food is said to bring good fortune to the household.  据说这种食物会带给家庭好运。

Long noodles are also a traditional Chinese New Year's dish.  长寿面也是传统的中国新年料理。

But if you wanna live a long life, never cut the noodles while eating them.  不过如果你想要长命百岁，永远不要在吃长寿面时把面条咬断。

And be sure to wear red, the color of good luck, and avoid black, which many people associate with death.  务必穿着红色，喜气的颜色，并避免黑色，许多人将黑色和死亡联想在一起。

Whether they're superstitions⁹ or resolutions, one thing's for sure:  无论那些是迷信或决心，有件事是毫无疑问的：

There's a lot of tradition associated with Chinese New Year that we bet¹ you didn't know! 有许多和中国新年相关的传统，我们敢说你不知道!

 

1 bet   

v.打赌，以(与)...打赌；n.赌注，赌金；打赌

参考例句：

• I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说，你解决不了这个难题。
• I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

4 immigrant   

adj.(从国外)移来的，移民的；n.移民，侨民

参考例句：

• Life in the USA was very hard for almost every new immigrant.美国的生活几乎对每一个新移民都很艰难。
• I'd like to obtain some information about applying for an immigrant visa.我想取一些申请移民签证的资料。

5 massive   

adj.巨大的，大规模的，大量的，大范围的

参考例句：

• A massive sea search has failed to find any survivors.经过大规模的海上搜救仍未找到幸存者。
• He drank a massive amount of alcohol.他喝了大量的烈酒。

6 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

7 mythical   

adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的

参考例句：

• Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
• Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

8 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。

9 superstitions   

迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Old superstitions seem incredible to educated people. 旧的迷信对于受过教育的人来说是不可思议的。
• Do away with all fetishes and superstitions. 破除一切盲目崇拜和迷信。