过年：合家团圆过大年

过年

合家团圆过大年

过年，可以说是中国人一年中最为重要的节日。离除夕还有好几天，在外工作奔忙的人们就迫不及待地回到自己的家乡，一大家子人聚在一起，热热闹闹地开始准备过年。

关于过年，我们能够说出好多的习俗：吃年夜饭、守岁、放鞭炮……许多诸如此类的春节习俗，都来源于民间流传已久的关于“年”的故事。

相传古时候，有一只生性凶残的怪兽叫作“年”。这只怪兽长得丑陋无比，飞禽走兽无所不吃，甚至吃掉了很多人。这样一只可怕的“年”兽，让人们又怕又恨。

后来，人们慢慢掌握了“年”的活动规律。它每隔365天窜到人群聚居的地方尝一次鲜，而且出没的时间都是在天黑以后。等到鸡鸣破晓，它便返回山林去了。算准了“年”侵袭的日期，百姓们便把这可怕的一夜当作一年中的一个关口，称作“年关”。不仅如此，人们还想出许多能使一家人平平安安度过年关的方法。每到这一天晚上，每家每户都提前做好晚饭，再把家里的前后门都封住，然后躲在屋里吃“年夜饭”。究竟能不能平安度过年关呢？一家人心里都有点胆怯。为了给自己壮胆，这顿年夜饭往往特别丰盛。除此之外，吃饭前一家人还要先供祭祖先，祈求祖先的神灵保佑，平安地度过这一夜。吃过晚饭后，大家谁都不敢睡觉，就挤坐在一起闲聊壮胆，这就逐渐形成了除夕守岁的习惯。还有人说“年”最怕巨响和红色，就在门口贴上红纸，半夜里放起鞭炮，“年”看见满眼的红色，听见耳边的巨响，就吓得不敢靠近了。

现在过年对于我们来说，早已经不是一个逃命的晚上，而是一个充满了温馨与快乐的节日。大人在外一年的劳作，日日风餐露宿的辛苦也敌不过除夕晚上一顿热热乎乎的年夜饭。小孩子们收到的红包、压岁钱，承载着长辈们对子孙健康平安、成长成才的美好期许。而放鞭炮、放烟花，早就成为人们心中必不可少的、过年最好的娱乐方式之一。

“家”是中国文化中非常重要的部分，也是许多人生活的寄托。大人们努力工作，孩子们用功读书，多多少少心中都怀揣着“让一家人过好日子”的理想。这也许就是属于我们每个人的普通又伟大的中国梦吧。

故事要旨

春节，俗称过年，是中国最重要、最隆重的节日。过年习俗由来已久，人们在春节这一天都尽可能地回到家里和亲人团聚，表达对未来一年的热切期盼和对新一年生活的美好祝福。这已经成为每一个普通中国人的信仰。

Celebrating the Lunar New Year

Family Gathering

The Spring Festival can be said to be the most important festival of the year for Chinese people. A few d ays before the Lunar New Year’s Eve, people working away would hurry back home in time for the Spring Festival. The whole family gathers together, and with much bustle prepares to celebrate the coming of the New Year.

In connection with the Spring Festival, we can mention a number of customs, such as the festival supper, staying up late on the Lunar New Year’s Eve, setting off fireworks, etc. These all originate in traditional stories connected with the “Year” passed down for many years among the people.

There is a legend that in ancient times there was a ferocious monster called “Year.” It was incomparably ugly, and would eat any bird or beast, and even ate many people. People feared and hated this “Year” monster.

Later, people bit by bit came to understand the life habits of “Year”: Every three hun dred and sixty-fifth day it would creep into places where there were lots of people, in search of tasty snacks. Then it would disappear into the mountain forests after dark until cockcrow. When they had calculated the date of the emergence of “Year,” people came to regard this fearful night as the juncture of the year, calling it the “end of the year.” Not only that; they thought of many ways for each family to pass the end of the year in safety. Every time this evening arrived, each family would prepare a supper in advance, secure both front and back doors, and eat the “Year Supper” in private. But could they really pass the end of the year safely in this way? A family might still be fearful, and so to give themselves courage they made this meal more and more lavish. In addition, before eating, each family would memorialize its ancestors, evoking their divine protection in passing that night in safety. After the meal, none of the family members would dare to go to sleep. Instead, they would all sit together talking to bolster their courage, and this gradually became the custom of staying up late on New Year’s Eve.

Some people said that what “Year” feared most was loud noises and the color red. And so, they would paste strips of red paper on their doors, and set off fireworks at midnight. “Year,” seeing red everywhere he looked and hearing loud noises, would be scared away.

As far as we are concerned nowadays, celebrating the Lunar New Year is no longer a matter of an evening when we take precautions to protect our lives but a festival full of peace and happiness. For adults who have spent the previous year working away from home, nothing could compensate them for undergoing daily hardships as much as the warmth of the New Year supper. For children, this is a joyous time of growth and reward, when they receive gifts of NewYear money in red envelopes, filled with wishes for health and tranquility from their elders. Fireworks displays have long had an ind ispensable place in people’s hearts as one of the finest methods of entertainment at the Spring Festival.