“The Spring Couplet”, also called “couplet” and “a pair of antithetical phrases”, is a special form of literature in China. The Spring Couplet is composed of two antithetical sentences on both sides of the door and a horizontal scroll bearing an inscription, usually an auspicious phrase, above the gate.
不论是大富大贵还是贫困潦倒,学富五车还是乡野村夫,每家每户都要在新年时门前贴春联,以寄托对新年的美好祝愿。
Whether the family is rich or poor, educated or ignorant, everyone must put on the Spring Couplet to symbolize the hopes for the coming new year.
“春联”或“对联”对立在中国是一种特殊的文学形式。春联是由贴在门口两侧两组对仗的句子组成,在门上面的横批通常是一个吉祥的短语。
④Family Reunion Dinner
年夜团圆饭
The Spring Festival is a time for the Chinese to have family reunion, on Chinese New Year’s Eve (Chu Xi), the whole family must sit at the table to eat the New Year’s Supper together. This meal is usually made from scratch with the entire family working together, and this meal is usually the most sumptuous meal of the year. In the New Year’s Supper, it is essential that some dishes contain the family wishes for the New Year.
春节是一个合家团圆的日子,在除夕夜,全家都合家团圆一起共享除夕大餐。这顿饭通常是全家总动员,每个人都要参与,也通常是一年之中最丰盛美味的一餐。在年夜饭中,有一些美好象征意义的美食是必备的
年糕,or the New Year’s Cake, is very common in Southern China, it Is made of sticky rice. In Chinese, niangao sounds like “getting higher year by year”. In Chinese people’s mind, the higher you are, the more prosperous your business is.
年糕在中文的发音里意味着年年高升。因此中国人总认为,如果一个人地位较高,其财富就越多。
饺子,or the stuffed Dumpling, is a very common Northern Chinese Dish, Chinese dumplings look like silver ingots. Legend has it that the more dumplings you eat during New Year celebration, the more money you can make in the New Year.
饺子的开关酷似一个元宝,并且在传统观念里认为饺子吃得越多,那么来年钱就挣得越多。
Ehen making these dumplings, coins and pennies are usually put into selected few, those lucky family members that happen to eat those special dumplings are believed to have special good fortune in the upcoming year.
在做饺子的时候,人们喜欢在一些饺子里放上硬币,吃到硬币的幸运儿就意味着来年会有特殊的好运。
⑤Firecrackers
放鞭炮
Lighting Firecrackers used to be one of the most important customs in the Spring Festival celebration. However, concerning the danger and the negative noises that lighting firecrackers may bring, the government has banned this practice in many major cities.
放鞭炮曾是春节庆祝活动中最重要的习俗之一。然而,担心燃放鞭炮可能会带来危险和烦人的噪音,政府已在许多大城市下令禁止燃放鞭炮。
But people in small towns and rural areas still hold to this traditional celebration. Right as the clock strike 12 o’ clock midnight of New Year’s Eve, cities and towns are lit up with the glitter from fireworks, and the sound can be deafening.
但在小城镇和地区的人们仍然坚持这种传统的庆祝活动。除夕夜一旦撞响午夜12点钟,城市和乡镇都被烟花的闪闪光芒映亮,鞭炮声震耳欲聋。
⑥Red Packet/ Lucky Money
红包/压岁钱
Children love Spring Festival because they can receive red packet! A red packet is simply a red envelope with lucky money in it, which symbolizes luck and wealth. In traditional Chinese cultural, red is considered a lucky color, red packet is believed to ward off evial spirits and to bring good fortune to the receiver.
孩子们最爱过春节,因为春节有红包!红包就是在一个红包的小红包里装上压岁钱,寓意为幸运和财富。在中国传统文化中,红色是幸运色,大家相信红包能帮人赶走霉运, 带来幸福富贵。
Traditionally, older generations give the red packet to the younger generation. Nowadays, this practice extends to close friends, neighbors, and even some companies give away year- end bonus in the red packets.
在过去,都是长辈给晚辈红包,但是现在这个概念已经扩大到朋友之音,有些公司也会把年终奖金放到红包里面发放。
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