贴春联、包红包、看春晚，过年那些事儿，让我们用英语来聊一聊

农历新年已经到来，你在家过得好吗？贴春联、收红包、拜新年了吗？

“过年”的那些事儿，你知道怎么用英语表达吗？今天双语君（微信ID: chinadaily_mobile）就来跟大家聊一聊。

农历新年

The Chinese New Year is defined as the first day of the first month on the traditional Chinese calendar, which is based on a traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year.

中国新年是中国农历第一个月的第一天，而这一天是根据中国阴阳历来确定的，阴阳历能够同时显示月相和阳历时间。

A lunar month is around two days shorter than a solar month. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

农历月一般比阳历月少两天。这也是每年农历新年的阳历日期都不相同的原因。

年兽

This legend says the beast Nian had a very big mouth that would swallow many people with one bite, which scared people. One day, an old man came to their rescue, offering to subdue Nian. 

这个传说是关于一只名为“年”的猛兽，它的血盆大口能一次吞下许多人，很多人都十分惧怕它。有一天，一位老人前来降服年兽，拯救人们。

He said to Nian, "I hear that you are very capable, but can you swallow the other beasts of prey on earth instead of people who are by no means of your worthy opponents?" So, it swallowed many of the beasts of prey on earth that also harassed people and their domestic animals from time to time.

他对年说：“我听说你很厉害，但你能吞下别的野兽吗？人类显然不是你的对手啊。”然后，“年”就吃掉了很多时常侵犯人和家畜的野兽。

After that, the old man disappeared riding the beast Nian. He turned out to be an immortal god. Now that Nian is gone and other beasts of prey were scared into forests, people began to enjoy a more peaceful life. 

在那之后，老人骑着年兽离开了。原来他是位不朽的神仙。年兽消失了，其他野兽也因为害怕躲进了森林，人们从此过上了和平的日子。

Before the old man left, he told people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at the end of each year to scare away Nian in case it snuck back again, because red is the colour the beast feared the most.

但在老人离开之前，他告诉大家，每年年末都要在窗户和门上贴红色的剪纸，以防年兽偷跑回来，因为年兽最害怕红色。

The custom of putting up red paper and firing firecrackers to scare away Nian should it have a chance to run loose is still around. However, people today have long forgotten why they are doing all this, except that they feel the colour and the sound add to the excitement of the celebration.

贴红纸、放鞭炮来防备、吓唬年兽的习俗后来保留了下来。不过现在，人们已经忘了他们为何做这些事，只是觉得红色和鞭炮声增加了节日的喜庆。

From then on, the tradition of observing the conquest of Nian is carried on from generation to generation.

从那以后，“看年兽被降服”成了代代相承的传统。

鸡年

Chinese legend tells of Buddha, the Emperor of the Heavens, inviting all animals to share in the New Year's celebrations – only twelve animals appeared. To reward their loyalty, Buddha named a year after each one in the order they arrived: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram/Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar/Pig.

这个故事讲述的是佛祖邀请所有动物来参加新年庆典，但却只有12只动物到场。为了奖励他们的忠诚，佛祖按照他们到来的先后顺序给每一年命名：鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗和猪。

The 2017 Chinese New Year celebrates the Year of the Rooster, the tenth animal honored by Buddha, and in the solar calendar this officially begins on Friday 28 January 2017. 

2017年的中国新年庆贺的是鸡年，这是被佛祖奖励的第十只动物，在阳历中，2017年的新春始于1月28日。

那么，过年都有哪些习俗呢？

Part 1: Preparations 准备

俗话说：“小孩小孩你别馋，过了腊八就是年”，腊月里庆祝新年的第一个小节点，自然当属“腊八节”。

Some Chinese start to celebrate and prepare for New Year as early as month 12 day 8 of the lunar calendar. This is a festival called Laba.

一些中国人最早从农历十二月初八就开始庆祝、准备过新年。这一天被称为“腊八”。

咱们传统民谣唱得好：

自农历腊月二十三的“小年”开始，年味就越来越浓了。

A small year is the 23rd or 24th of the last month of the year. It is said that this is the day the God of Kitchen will leave the family in order to go to heaven and report on the activity of family to the Emperor of the heaven. 

小年是腊月二十三或二十四（南方小年比北方小年晚一天）。据说这一天，灶王爷会离开人间去向玉皇大帝汇报家家户户的情况。

People will follow religious ceremonies to say farewell to  the God of Kitchen, including taking down and burning the painting of the god. After New Year's Day, people will buy new paintings of the God of Kitchen and display it in the kitchen.

人们会按照一些传统礼仪来祭灶王，包括祭祀完后揭下并焚烧灶王神像。等新年过后，人们会买来新的灶王像放置在厨房。

From the 23rd of the 12th lunar month (January 20, 2017), Chinese people carry out a thorough cleaning of their houses. The cleaning is called "sweeping the dust", and represents a wish to put away old things, bid farewell to the old year, and welcome the New Year.

自腊月23（2017年1月20日）开始，中国人会彻底把房子打扫一遍，这被称为“扫尘”，代表除去旧事物，与过去一年说再见，迎接新年。

After cleaning, people will decorate the house to welcome the New Year. Most of the decorations are red. The most popular New Year decorations are upside down fu, couplets, lanterns, year paintings, paper-cutting, door gods, etc.

打扫好房间后，人们通常会好好布置一下屋子来迎接新年。大多装饰物都是红色的。最流行的莫过于“倒福字”、对联、灯笼、年画、剪纸、门神等。

◆ Affixing Door God Image 贴门神 ◆

In the beginning, door gods were made of peach wood carved into the figure of a man, hanging by the door. Later people pasted printed images on doors.

起初，“门神”是挂在门前的男子桃木雕像。后来，人们则把印好的门神像贴在门上。

People paste door gods on doors as a prayer for blessings, longevity, health, and peace. Two door gods on double doors are thought to keep evil spirits from entering. 

人们在门上贴门神，来祈求幸福、长寿、健康与和平。两扇门上的门神被认为能够驱赶恶灵。

The door gods symbolize righteousness and power in China, therefore Chinese door gods are always scowling, holding various weapons, and ready to fight with evil spirits.

门神在中国象征正义与力量，因此中国的门神总是皱着眉头、手持各种武器，准备同恶鬼斗争。

◆ Putting up Spring Couplets 贴春联 ◆

Spring couplets are paired phrases, typically of seven Chinese characters each, written on red paper in black ink, and one pasted on each side of a door frame. Sometimes a phrase of four or five characters is affixed to the top of the door frame as well.

春联是对仗工整的文字，通常一联七字，由黑墨笔写在红纸上，然后贴在门框两侧。有时，四五字的横批也会贴在门框顶端。

New Year couplets are filled with best wishes. Some people write the couplets themselves, but most people buy them (ready printed) from the market. Pasting spring couplets is thought to keep evil away.

春联里满是美好的祝福。一些人会自己写，而大部分人则从商店里买已经写好的春联。贴春联也被看作是驱魔除恶的方式。

◆ Putting up New Year Paintings 贴年画 ◆ 

The subjects of New Year paintings are often flowers and birds, plump boys and Guanyin, golden roosters, oxen, ripe fruit and treasure, or other legends and historical stories, showing desires for bountiful harvests and a happy life.

年画的内容通常是花、鸟、大胖小子和观音、金鸡、牛、丰富的水果珍宝，或者传说和历史故事，以此来表达人们对来年丰收和幸福生活的祈求。

◆ Putting up Paper Cutouts 贴窗花 ◆

In the past people pasted paper cutouts on windows facing south and north before the Spring Festival. Paper cutouts are usually diamond-shaped in lucky red, with beautiful and exaggerated patterns. They express hopes of a merry and prosperous life, in line with the Spring Festival theme.

过去，人们在春节前将窗花朝南北向贴在窗户上。这些剪纸通常用红色的纸精致剪成菱形，图案夸张，表达了人们对快乐或对幸福生活的希望，与春节的主题相同。

People buy New Year food and snacks, New Year decorations, and clothes for the New Year before New Year's Eve. Chinese New Year, like Christmas in China, is a major shopping time.

人们在除夕夜前购买新年的食物、小吃、装饰物和新衣服。中国新年和中国的圣诞节一样，是“剁手期”……

Part 2: New Year's Eve 除夕夜

每年除夕都是咱们国人迎新年的重头戏。这些“必备”习俗，想必小伙伴们也都再熟悉不过了！

The New Year's Eve Feast is a "must have" dinner with all family members reuniting. Chinese try very hard to make this family event, often traveling long distances. 

年夜饭是所有家庭成员欢聚一堂必不可少的一顿饭。中国人为了这顿年夜饭，常常要长度跋涉才能团聚在一起。

People from north and south China eat different foods on this special occasion, and many New Year foods are symbolic. In northern China a traditional dish for the feast is jiaozi (dumplings). They are shaped like old Chinese ingots, symbolizes wealth. 

南北方人吃年夜饭可能有所差异，而且很多新年菜式很有象征意义。比如在北方，年夜饭上的一道传统菜肴是饺子。饺子的形状很像古代中国的元宝，象征着财富。

Southern Chinese eat niangao (sticky rice cake) on this special day, because niangao sounds like "yearly higher", symbolizing improvement.

而南方在这个特别的日子里则会吃年糕，因为“年糕”的发音同“年高”，象征着节节高升。

Fireworks will be launched to celebrate the coming of the New Year as well as to drive away the evil. It is believed that the person who launched the first firework of the New Year will obtain good luck. Many people attend or watch the public and private firework displays from their windows.

放鞭炮是为了迎接新年、驱除恶鬼。一般认为，第一个放鞭炮的人将在新年迎来好运。许多人也会站在窗前观看公共或私人燃放的烟花。

The Red packet is a red envelope with money in it, which ranges from one to a few thousand Chinese yuan. Usually the red packet is given by adults, especially married couples, and elderly to young children in New Year days. It was believed that the money in the red packet will suppress the evil from the children and, keep them healthy.

红包是装钱的红信封，钱的数额从一块到几千不等。过年时，一般是成年人，尤其是已婚夫妇，将红包给孩子。通常认为，红包里的钱能抵御厄运，让孩子健康成长。

而近几年，新春时期的电子红包越发抢眼……

App-sent/received "red envelopes" appeared in recent years, and they quickly became the most popular New Year activity among the young. Many young people spend most of their New Year holiday time exchanging cyber money via red envelope apps for fun.

用APP收发红包，近几年也出现在人们视野，并迅速成为年轻人群体中最流行的新年活动。许多年轻人将大部分新年假期都花在互发电子红包上，为图一乐。

It's become a Chinese custom for many familes to watch the CCTV New Year Gala while having their dinner. The gala starts at 8 pm and ends at midnight when the New Year arrives, featuring traditional folk, and pop performances from China's best singers, dancers, and acrobats.

吃年夜饭看春晚已经成为很多中国家庭的习俗。晚会开始于除夕夜晚上八点，凌晨新年钟声敲响时结束，中国最优秀的歌手、舞者和杂技演员会登台表演传统小品和流行节目。

Part 3: Lunar New Year's Day 初一

终于到了正月初一，这一天也有不少咱们熟悉的习俗呢！

On the first day of the New Year, Chinese put on new clothes and wish each other good luck and happiness in the New Year. It is customary for the younger generation to visit their elders, and wish them health and longevity.

在大年初一，国人会穿上新衣服，并对亲朋好友道一句“恭喜”，希望彼此能在新年幸福快乐。传统习俗是年轻人给长辈拜年，祝福他们健康长寿。

In recent years, a new way to do New Year greetings has appeared, especially among the young. Busy people who don't have time to visit their friends or relatives send a WeChat red envelope or a text message instead.

近几年， 一种新的拜年方式开始风行，尤其在年轻人之间。那些无暇走亲访友的人会发一个微信红包或短信来代替。

Ancestor worship varies widely across China — from sweeping tombs in the wild to worshiping ancestors in ancestral halls or temples. Many (especially rural) people offer sacrifices to their ancestors in the main hall of the house, where an ancestor altar is displayed. Then family members kneel and bow in front of the wall-mounted shrine, from the oldest to the youngest.

祭祖仪式在中国各地有多种形式——从野外扫墓到在宗族庙堂为祖先上香。许多人(尤其是在农村）会在家中供奉祖先排位的主厅祭祖。家族成员由长而幼，在祖先牌位面前跪下磕头。

This custom has been practiced in China every year for thousands of years. Offering sacrifices to ancestors shows respect, piety, and missing departed relatives on such a special festival. It is also believed that ancestral spirits will protect their descendants and make them prosperous.

这项每年举行的仪式在中国已有千年的历史。在这一特别的日子里，祭祖表达后人对祖先的尊敬、虔诚和思念。而人们也相信，祖先灵魂会保佑自己的子孙后代，让后人生活富足。

Lion dances and dragon dances might be seen too on New Year's Day. Once very popular in China, they are reappearing in many places. They are more popular in Hong Kong and Macao.

在新年，舞龙舞狮表演也很常见。这一曾经很流行的习俗，现在又在很多地方重现，尤其风行于香港和澳门。

过完年以后，节日的红火气氛也不会迅速被淡化。诸如正月初二回娘家，继续走亲访友等活动仍会持续。

传统上，一般正月初三之后才会再次打扫房屋，以防止新年的好运气在头两日被带走。

而正月初八是大部分商店企业重新开工的日子，因为“八”在传统文化中是一个吉利的数字，预示着新的一年可以财源广进。

而正月十五的元宵节，则是过年的最后一个小高潮，也是春节的尾声。

The fifteenth day of the New Year is the Lantern Festival. It is the traditional end of the Spring Festival celebrations. People send glowing lanterns into the sky while others let floating lanterns go in the sea, on rivers, or set them adrift in lakes.

正月十五是元宵节（也称灯节），这是春节传统意义上的结束。有些人会向天空中放灯，也有人会将灯放到海、河、湖面上，任其漂浮。

你的家乡还有什么不同寻常的过年习俗么？欢迎和双语君（微信ID：chinadaily_mobile）多多分享呦！

编辑：祝兴媛

实习编辑：付砾乐

中国日报网双语新闻

（ID:chinadaily_mobile）

鸡年大吉！送你一份春节专用英语表达大全，拜年英语学起来！