春节习俗(英文版)

春节习俗

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、旱船，另外就是唱戏。After the Spring Festival, all kinds of entertainment programs used to be given in the rural areas in China. Just like the flower exhibition in Beijing now, the entertainment programs include walking on stilt s, taking 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 our 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 drop 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 drop 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.

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/in whatever you try.

事业有成！

Have a successful career!

drop a Spring Festival visit 拜年a luck talk 吉祥话

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 traditional way of extending Spring Festival greetings includes to drop 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, i.e. gift money. Since Yasuiqian is money put into a small red paper envelope, people also call it "red

bag/envelope/packet".

一般是这样，家里给压岁钱就是给小孩子。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.

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"，"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 homonym 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 a symbolic meaning.