中国春节（四）：节庆活动 Chinese Spring Festival （IV）

从农历正月初一开始的节庆活动可谓丰富多彩，多种多样。

A series of colorful celebration activities begin on the first day of the first lunar month.

春节过了以后，就是在过去中国的农村里边，文艺的活动逐渐地展开了，有各种的文艺节目，像我们现在看到的北京花会一样，高跷呐，旱船呐，另外就是唱戏。

After the Spring Festival, all kinds of entertainment programs used to be given in the rural area in China. Just like the flower exhibition in Beijing now, the entertainment programs includes walk on stilts, take a boat on ground and operas.

不管是城里人，还是在农村，人们都要做的一件事就是拜年。民间流行的拜年活动先是从家里开始的。

No matter in the city or in the countryside, all the people will do one thing that is to extend Spring Festival greetings. This activity begins at first between family members.

一般是我们晚辈要给长辈拜年，比如给我的父母和父母的兄弟姐妹，大爷、大妈等拜年。

Normally we will extend our Spring Festival greetings to our elders, such as my parents, uncles and aunts.

亲戚之间在春节期间走动，有互拜平安的意思。

Relatives will dro each other a visit during the Spring Festival to give their best wishes.

给亲戚拜年，出门之后就作揖、问安，说点吉祥话，恭喜过年呐，恭喜发财呀，说点吉祥话，预示着第二年有个好的，这就是新一年来了以后有好运。

To dro a Spring Festival visit is to give your new year greetings when you are out. Have a luck talk. Happy new year! May you come into a good fortune! A luck talk can bring luck to people in the new year.

中国全景初级汉语三第30课

The 30th lesson, in China Panorama, Basic Level

杨丽：雪芹，过年好！

Yang Li：Xue Qin, happy new year!

方雪芹：过年好！

Fang Xueqin: Happy new year!

田、赵：恭喜发财

Tian, Zhao: May you come into a good fortune!

方雪芹：同喜、同喜！快请进。

Fang Xueqin: The same to you. Come on in.

身体非常重要，所以春节的问候往往加上“身体健康”。

Health is very important. So new greetings normally have “Good health!”

万事如意，心想事成。

Hope everything goes your way. May you succeed at whatever you try.

事业有成！

Have a successful career!

原来拜年呐，亲戚朋友互相串门，就是坐一会儿，各家都摆一点糖果、瓜子，让大家尝尝，就走。这种人际的交往吧，初一初二这家里边闲不住，老是人来人往，这和现代化这个手段还是有区别的。

The Spring Festival visits in the past meant that relatives and friends will dro each other a visit. Everyone had candies and sunflower seeds for guests. They sat together and talked for a while. In the first and second day of the first lunar month, nobody would stay at home. They were all busy visiting each other. This social act is different from the modern way.

除了以往的到家里拜年，或寄贺年卡，近年来，人们也开始通过电话、电子邮件和手机短信拜年。

The tradition way of extending Spring Festival greetings includes to dro a visit or to send new year cards. In recent years, people began to use telephone, email and sms to extend their Spring Festival wishes.

虽然拜年的方式变化了，但对孩子们来讲，有一件事是不变的，那就是拜年时长辈们会给压岁钱，因为压岁钱多是放在红纸袋里的，所以人们也称之为“红包”。

Although people have different ways of extending the Spring Festival wishes now, for children, one thing still remains unchanged. This is, when they pay a Spring Festival visit to their elders, elders will give them Yasuiqian, like gift money. Since Yasuiqian is money put into a small red paper envelope, people also call it “red bag”.

一般是这样，家里给压岁钱就是给我们这小孩子。磕头拜年，父母给压岁钱。

Normally, our elders give us children new year money. We kowtow to them and give them our best wishes. They will give us new year money.

递一个小红包，就很少一点钱，那时候小孩就很高兴了。

I received a small red bag, which contains little money in it. But I was so happy.

其实这个“岁”呢，就是那个鬼鬼祟祟的“祟”，原来不是这个年岁的岁，它是一个谐音，就是祛除这个“鬼祟之气”、“晦气”，是吧，“霉运”。于是就给点压岁钱。实际上最早不是钱，它是一些象征性的物，那么后来呢，就给点钱，不管多少，有那么个意思。

Actually, “sui” in yasuiqian has a phonetic synonym which means evil spirit. Yasuiqian is to get rid of this evil spirit and bad luck. So people give some money to bring good luck. In fact, at first people did not give money but other symbolic gifts. Then, they give money. No matter how big or small the amount is, it has symbolic meaning.

春节的时候，能收好多压岁钱。嗯，就是差不多大概一千多，两千元，我在外面课外班上课，然后就是用压岁钱，要交学费。

During the Spring Festival, I can receive a lot of money, about 1 or 2 thousand Yuan. I use it to pay the tuition fee for my afterschool classes.

农历正月初十过后，人们便开始准备庆祝元宵节的活动。元宵节是正月十五，是过年的另一个高潮。赏灯和吃元宵是元宵节活动的两个主要内容。这一天，人们在夜里悬挂彩灯猜灯谜，一起吃顿丰富的晚餐来庆祝。元宵节赏灯活动中的猜谜游戏，充满了智慧和趣味。

After the 10th day of the first lunar month calendar, people begin to celebrate Yuanxiao festival. Yuanxiao festival is the 15th day of the first lunar month, another climax during Spring Festival celebration. Watching lanterns and eating Yuanxuan are two main activities for Xuanxiao festival celebration. On this day, people to go to guess riddles on lanterns at night and have a sumptuous dinner for celebration. The riddles games are full of wisdom and fun.

十五观灯很热闹，外国朋友可以从灯里了解什么是年年有余，可以了解许多文化。很多传说和民间故事都在灯里，吉祥的谚语也都在灯里。

It is really bustling to watch lanterns on Xuanxiao Festival. Foreign friends will get to know what “Nian Nian You Yu” means, and other Chinese cultural phenomena. Lanterns contain many, legends and stories and auspicious idioms.

过年时，言行要特别谨慎，因为中国人希望一年的开始能够事事顺利，有个好兆头。所以春节时期有许多禁忌。有些话、有些事是不能说，不能做的。

During the Spring Festival, one must be extremely careful in his or her acts and words. Because Chinese people want to have a nice start at the beginning of each year. Therefore there are many taboos during the Spring Festival. Some words should not be spoken and some things should not be done.

春节里边有很多禁忌，你初一这一天最好不要扫地，要扫地的话，你要从门口往门里扫，从外往里扫啊，因为这些垃圾（被人们认为）都是财富啊。在一个呢就是如果这一天打碎了东西，你不能责备孩子们，你得说“岁岁平安”。打碎了嘛，“碎”跟那个年岁的“岁”不正好谐音，岁岁平安。如果小孩子不注意说了这种骂人的话啊什么，叫做“童言无忌”。

There are many taboos during the Spring Festival. One should one sweep on the first day of the first lunar month. If you sweep on that day, you should sweep from outdoors to indoors, but not from indoors to outdoors. If a child breaks something on that day, you should not blame him or her. You should say “To break is great for next year!” Break in Chinese has a phonetically synonym means Year. If a child says something bad, it is “Children words are no taboos.”

说实在的不知道。以前老人好像说过一些，像那个，正月里不能剃头啊。这些。现在反正在也都不在乎了年轻人。

Actually I don’t know. Old people used to say the don’ts during the Spring Festival. For example, one should not have hair cut in the first lunar month. Things like this. But nowadays young people do not care much about these.