浅谈中国节日的英文翻译规律

中国传统的节日用英语表达法元旦(1月1日)New Year's Day春节(农历一月一日)the Spring Festival元宵节(农历一月十五日)the Lantern Festival国际劳动妇女节(3月8日)International Working Women's Day 植树节(3月12日)Arbor Day；Tree planting Day.清明节(4月5日)Ching Ming Festival;Tomb-sweepingFestival 国际劳动节(5月1日)International Labour Day中国青年节(5月4日)ChineseYouthDay5月第二个星期日母亲节(Mother's Day)护士节(5月12日)Nurses' Festival端午节(农历五月初五)the Dragon Boat Festival国际儿童节(6月1日)International Children's Day6月第三个星期日父亲节Father's Day中国共产党成立纪念日(7月1日)the Party's Birthday建军节(8月1日)the Army's Day中秋节(农历八月十五)Mid-autumnFestival;Mid-Moon Festival教师节(9月10日)Teachers' Day重阳节(农历九月九日)Double-ninth Day国庆节(10月1日)National Day除夕(农历十二月三十日)New Year's Eve外来节日春分月圆后的第一个星期日复活节(Easter day)(有可能是3月22-4月25日间的任一天)愚人节（4月1日）April Fools' Day加拿大感恩节（10月的第二个星期一）Thanksgiving Day美国感恩节（11月最后一个星期四）Thanksgiving Day万圣节（10月31日）Halloween圣诞节（12月25日）Christmas Day中国农历节日英语表达法农历正月初一春节(the Spring Festival)农历正月十五元宵节(Lantern Festival)农历五月初五端午节(the Dragon-Boat Festival)农历七月初七乞巧节(中国情人节）(Double-Seventh Day) 农历八月十五中秋节(the Mid-Autumn Festival)农历九月初九重阳节(the Double Ninth Festival)农历腊月初八腊八节(the laba Rice Porridge Festival)农历腊月二十四传统扫房日阳历节日表达法1月1日元旦（New Year's Day)2月2日世界湿地日(World Wetlands Day)2月14日情人节(Valentine's Day)3月3日全国爱耳日3月5日青年志愿者服务日3月8日国际妇女节(International Women' Day)3月9日保护母亲河日3月12日中国植树节(China Arbor Day)3月14日白色情人节(White Day)3月14日国际警察日(International Policemen' Day)3月15日世界消费者权益日(World Consumer Right Day）3月20日邮政节PostalDay3月21日世界森林日（World Forest Day)3月21日世界睡眠日(World Sleep Day)3月22日世界水日(World Water Day)3月23日世界气象日(World Meteorological Day)3月24日世界防治结核病日(World Tuberculosis Day)4月1日愚人节(April Fools' Day)4月5日清明节（Tomb-sweeping Day)4月7日世界卫生日(World Health Day）4月22日世界地球日(World Earth Day)4月26日世界知识产权日(World Intellectual Property Day) 5月1日国际劳动节(International Labour Day)5月3日世界哮喘日(World Asthma Day)5月4日中国青年节（Chinese Youth Day)5月8日世界红十字日(World Red-Cross Day)5月12日国际护士节(International Nurse Day)5月15日国际家庭日(International Family Day)5月17日世界电信日(World Telecommunications Day)5月20日全国学生营养日5月23日国际牛奶日(International Milk Day)5月31日世界无烟日(World No-Smoking Day)6月1日国际儿童节(International Children's Day)6月5日世界环境日(International Environment Day)6月6日全国爱眼日6月17日世界防治荒漠化和干旱日(World Day to combat desertification)6月23日国际奥林匹克日(International Olympic Day)6月25日全国土地日6月26日国际禁毒日(International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking)7月1日中国共产党诞生日(Anniversary of the Founding of the Chinese Communist Party)7月1日国际建筑日（International Architecture Day)7月7日中国人民抗日战争纪念日7月11日世界人口日(World Population Day)8月1日中国人民解放军建军节(Army Day)8月12日国际青年节(International Youth Day)9月8日国际扫盲日(International Anti-illiteracy Day)9月10日中国教师节(Teacher's Day)9月16日中国脑健康日9月16日国际臭氧层保护日(International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer)9月20日全国爱牙日9月21日世界停火日(World Cease-fire Day)9月27日世界旅游日(World Tourism Day)10月1日中华人民共和国国庆节(National Day)10月1日国际音乐日(International Music Day)10月1日国际老年人日(International Day of Older Persons)10月4日世界动物日(World Animal Day)10月5日世界教师日(World Teachers' Day)（联合国教科文组织确立）10月8日全国高血压日10月9日世界邮政日(World Post Day)10月10日世界精神卫生日(World Mental Health Day)10月14日世界标准日(World Standards Day)10月15日国际盲人节(International Day of the Blind)10月15日世界农村妇女日(World Rural Women's Day)10月16日世界粮食日(World Food Day)10月17日国际消除贫困日(International Day for the Eradication of Poverty)10月24日联合国日(United Nations Day)10月24日世界发展新闻日(World Development Information Day) 10月28日中国男性健康日10月29日国际生物多样性日(International Biodiversity Day)10月31日万圣节(Halloween)11月8日中国记者节11月9日消防宣传日11月14日世界糖尿病日(World Diabetes Day)11月17日国际大学生节11月25日国际消除对妇女的暴力日(International Day For the elimination of Violence against Women)12月1日世界爱滋病日(World AIDS Day)12月3日世界残疾人日(World Disabled Day）12月4日全国法制宣传日12月9日世界足球日（World Football Day)12月25日圣诞节(Christmas Day)12月29日国际生物多样性日(International Biological Diversity Day) 1月最后一个星期日国际麻风节3月最后一个完整周的星期一中小学生安全教育日春分月圆后的第一个星期日复活节(Easter Monday)(有可能是3月22-4月25日间的任一天)5月第二个星期日母亲节(Mother's Day)5月第三个星期日全国助残日6月第三个星期日父亲节(Father's Day)9月第三个星期二国际和平日(International Peace Day)9月第三个星期六全国国防教育日9月第四个星期日国际聋人节(International Day of the Deaf)10月的第一个星期一世界住房日(World Habitat Day)10月的第二个星斯一加拿大感恩节(Thanksgiving Day)10月第二个星期三国际减轻自然灾害日(International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction)10月第二个星期四世界爱眼日(World Sight Day)11月最后一个星期四美国感恩节(Thanksgiving Day)十句话送给晚上睡不着觉的人1. 人，其实不需要太多的东西，只要健康的活着，真诚的爱着，也不失为一种富有。

中国传统文化名词英文表达翻译及单词速记技巧节日类1.除夕New Year's Eve2.春节The Spring Festival3.元宵节Lantern Festival4.清明节Qingming Festival/Tomb-Sweeping Day5.端午节Dragon Boat Festival6.七夕节Double Seventh Festival7.中秋节Mid-Autumn Festival8.重阳节Double Ninth Festival9.腊八节The Laba Rice Porridge Festival/Laba Festival10.春联Spring Festival couplets11.拜年paying a New Year call美食类12.北京烤鸭Beijing roast duck13.豆浆soybean milk14.馒头mantou/ steamed bun15.火锅hot pot16.春卷spring roll17.炸酱面noodles with soybean paste18.麻花fried dough twist19.粽子zongzi/ rice dumpling20.拉面hand-pulled noodles/ stretched noodles21.馄饨wonton/ chinese dumpling soup22.豆腐tofu/ bean curd名著类23.《史记》The Historical Records24.《诗经》The Book of Songs25.《春秋》The Spring and Autumn Annals26.《论语》The Analects of Confucius27.《三国演义》Romance of the ThreeKingdoms28.《水浒传》Water Margin/ Outlaws of the Marsh29.《西游记》Pilgrimage to the West/ Journey to the West30.《红楼梦》A Dream in Red Mansions/ The Story of the Stone31.《山海经》The Classic of Mountains and Rivers32.《三字经》The-Character ure33.《资治通鉴》History as a Mirror名胜古迹34. 长城the Great Wall35.秦始皇陵Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor36.兵马俑Terra-Cotta Warriors37.敦煌莫高窟Mo Kao Grotto at Dunhuang38.鼓楼drum-tower39.故宫the Forbidden City/ the Palace Museum40.天坛Temple of Heaven41.西湖West Lake42.日月潭Sun Moon Lake/ Riyuetan Pool43.明十三陵the Ming Tombs44.苏州园林Suzhou Garden(s)四大发明45.四大发明the four great inventions of ancient China46.火药gunpowder47.印刷术printing/ arts of printing48.造纸术papermaking technology49.指南针compass其他符号50.中国结Chinese knot51.青铜器bronze ware52.瓷器china/ porcelain53.刺绣embroide54.中药TCM/ traditional chinese medicine55.四合院courtyard56.京剧Peking opera57.皮影戏shadow play58.太极Tai Chi59.对口相声cross talk60.杂技acrobatics61.中国武术Chinese martial arts/ Kung Fu62.越剧Yue opera63.唐装Tang suit64.旗袍cheongsam65.古筝Chinese zither66.二胡erhu67.甲骨文Oracle bone68.世袭制度hereditary system69.朝代dynasty70.战国时期the Warring States Period71.三国the Three Kingdoms72.秦始皇the First Emperor of Qin73.皇太后Empress Dowager74.士大夫scholar-officials/ literati and officialdom75.诸侯vassal76.宰相prime minister in feudal China77.西域the Western Regions78.武侠小说martial arts novel79.八股文the eight-part essay/ stereotyped writing80.五言绝句five-character quatrains81.七言律诗seven-character octave82.朦胧诗misty poetry83.诗人poet84.六艺the classic six arts85.民间艺术folk art86.中国文学Chinese literature87.中国书法Chinese calligraphy88.古装片costume flim89.国画Chinese painting90.儒学Confucianism91.孔子Confucius92.孟子Mencius93.法家Legalism94.墨家Mohism95.孝顺filial96.中庸doctrine of golden mean97.神话mythology98.玉皇大帝the Jade Emperor99.美猴王Handsome Monkey King100.才子佳人gifted scholars and beautiful ladies 英语单词记忆技巧1短时记忆原则背单词的时间跨度一定不能太长，太长的话前面背过的都忘了，还容易对背单词产生厌倦情绪，背单词的一个周期一定不可以超过一个月的时间。

中国部分传统节日的翻译端午节1. 端午节（农历五月五日）是中国古老的传统节日，至今有2000多年的历史。

通常在阳历的六月份。

The Dragon Boat Festival, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, has had a history of more than 2,000 years. It is usually in June in the Gregorian calendar(格列高利历即阳历).2. 粽子：糯米中加入肉，坚果或者豆酱，用粽叶包好。

朝鲜，韩国，日本和东南亚国家也有吃粽子的习惯。

Rice dumplings: Glutinous rice (糯米)filled with meat, nuts or bean paste and wrapped in bamboo leaves. The custom of eating rice dumplings is also popular in North and South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations.3. 赛龙舟是端午节必不可少的部分。

枪声一响，大家可以看到龙舟的水手们努力划桨，和谐而迅速，伴随着急速的鼓声，加速向目的地划去。

Dragon boat racing is an indispensable part of the festival. As the gun is fired, people will see racers in dragon-shaped canoes pulling the oars harmoniously and hurriedly, accompanied by rapid drums, speeding toward their destination.元宵节the Lantern Festival1. 自汉朝（公元前206-公元221年）起，元宵节就已经成为了中国新年庆祝活动中的一部分了。

中国及国际常见节日英文表达阳历节日1月1日元旦（New Year's Day)。

现代中国对元旦的庆祝较之春节，重要性要小得多。

一般机关、企业会举行年终集体庆祝活动，但民间活动很少。

2月2日世界湿地日(World Wet lands Day)每年的2月2日是世界湿地日[1] 。

这是湿地国际联盟组织（wiun）于1996年3月确定的。

从1997年开始，世界各国在这一天都举行不同形式的活动来宣传保护自然资源和生态环境。

2月14日情人节(Valentine's Day)情人节（英文：Valentine's Day），又叫圣瓦伦丁节或圣华伦泰节，即每年的2月14日，是西方的传统节日之一。

在这一天，人们会赠送礼物给情人或心仪的人，例如送巧克力、贺卡和花等，用以表达爱意或友好。

情人节已成为欧美各国青年人喜爱的节日，并在世界其他地方流行开来。

在中国，七夕节被称为中国的情人节。

由于能表达共同的人类情怀，各国各地纷纷发掘了自身的“情人节”。

3月8日国际妇女节(International Women' Day)是在每年的3月8日为庆祝妇女在经济、政治和社会等领域做出的重要贡献和取得的巨大成就而设立的节日。

3月12日中国植树节(China Arbor Day)中国植树节定于每年的3月12日，是中国为激发人们爱林、造林的热情，促进国土绿化，保护人类赖以生存的生态环境，通过立法确定的节日。

在该日，全国各地政府、机关、学校、公司会响应造林的号召，集中举行植树节仪式，从事植树活动。

中国曾于1915年规定清明节为植树节，最初由林学家凌道扬等创议设立[1] ，而后在1928年将植树节改为逝世的3月12日，以纪念革命先驱的植树造林愿望。

这一设定被中国大陆和中国沿用至今。

此外，一些省市还根据当地的气候规律，规定了其它的植树日、植树周、植树月。

3月14日白人节(White Day)白人节（WhiteDay）在每年公历的3月14日，是2月14日西方情人节的延续，寓意期盼和幸福，在这天回馈礼物能表明心意。

中西方主要节日翻译方法研究随着中西方文化的快速融合，越来越多的节日被引入到两国中。

在中西方文化融合过程中，不同国家的节日出现了跨界的现象，翻译成母语就变得尤为重要。

因此，关于中西方节日的翻译方法研究显得尤为重要。

由于中西方文化的差异，翻译中西方节日存在诸多挑战，需要翻译者深入研究，才能有效地实现节日翻译。

一方面，翻译者需要懂得原文中节日的典故和历史背景，才能准确无误地把握文章的主旨，并融入译文中，确保文章色彩突出和意义真正完整；另一方面，翻译结果也与语言本身特性相关，翻译者要根据母语自然规律，结合口译要求，针对性地利用对照法、意译法和略译法以及新的表达手段，把翻译的深度与丰富性分配到适合的地方，使译文通顺、顺畅、精彩。

以七夕节为例，英文"The Qixi Festival"，可任意拆分成"Qixi"[七夕] + "Festival"，根据语境含义和汉语习惯，"Festival“可以被略译为表达同义意思的”节”或”节日“，形成“七夕节”或“七夕节日”，使用多种表达手法，译文精彩有趣。

此外，通常来说，译者应利用现有文献及相关文化背景，选用多种翻译方法，以求真正完美地把中西方节日翻译成不同语言的母语。

例如，可以借助说明伴随节日的典故和文化背景，着重于翻译中涉及的文化含义、文化背景，情景化、动态化汉语等，结合适当的修辞手法，加深读者对节日的认识。

总之，翻译不同节日不仅仅只是进行书面翻译，更是将节日文化尊重、表达自如、读者理解深入的过程，同时也涉及到语言文化的传播和沟通，译者需要根据不同节日的文化意义，巧妙地使用汉语、英语、日语等不同语言，广泛汲取、深入研究的精神，从而真正将中西文化完美地融合在一起。

6月10日中国传统节日的英文表达法（一）中国传统节日的英文说法过年celebrate the Spring Festival春联Spring Festival couplets剪纸paper-cuts年画New Year paintings买年货do shopping for the Spring Festival ;do Spring Festival shopping敬酒propose a toast灯笼lantern烟花fireworks爆竹firecrackers(people scare off evil spirits and ghosts with the loudpop.)红包red packets(cash wrapped up in red paper, symbolize fortune and wealth in the coming year.)舞狮lion dance(the lion is believed to be able to dispel evil and bring good luck.)舞龙dragon dance(to expect good weather and good harvests)戏曲traditional opera杂耍variety show灯谜riddles written on lanterns灯会exhibit of lanterns守岁staying-up拜年pay New Year's call;give New Year's greetings;pay New Year's visit禁忌taboo去晦气get rid of the ill- fortune祭祖宗offer sacrifices to one's ancestors辞旧岁bid farewell to the old year扫房spring cleaning; general house-cleaning年糕Nian-Gao; rice cake; New Year cake团圆饭family reunion dinner年夜饭the dinner on New Year's eve饺子Jiao-Zi; Chinese meat ravioli压岁钱gift money;money given to children as a lunar New Year gift Culture Note:In the old days, New Year's money was given in the form of one hundred copper coins strung together on a red string and symbolized the hope that one would live to be a hundred years old. today, money is placed inside red envelopes in denominations considered auspicious and given to represent luck and wealth（二）情人节2月14日ST.VALENTINE'S DAY元宵节阴历1月15日LANTERN FESTIVAL狂欢节二月中下旬CARNIVAL国际妇女节3月8日INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY世界消费者权益日3月15日WORLD CONSUMER RIGHT DAY愚人节4月1日FOOL'S DAY国际劳动节5月1日INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY端午节阴历5月5日DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL母亲节5月的第二个星期日MOTHER'S DAY国际红十字日5月8日INTERNATIONAL RED-CROSS DAY 国际儿童节6月1日INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S DAY 父亲节6月的第三个星期日FATHER'S DAY中秋节阴历8月15日MOON FESTIVAL教师节9月10日TEACHER'S DAY国庆节10月1日National's Day万圣节11月1日HALLOWMAS圣诞节12月25日CHRISTMAS DAY 新年除。

语言文化翻译观指导下中国传统节日的英译刘虹洁 沈阳理工大学外国语学院摘要：在这个全球化的时代，跨文化交际扮演着越来越重要的角色，而在中西文化交流中，翻译则起着最为关键的作用。

作者选取我国八大传统节日作为研究对象，通过分析其在英译过程中遇到的困难和问题，提出了相应的解决方案。

本着这一原则，笔者提出了一下五种翻译方法：音译、音译+解释性说明、直译+解释性说明、意译+解释性说明以及采用现有译法，为大家呈现一场原汁原味的“中式节日文化盛宴”，以满足当今文化交流的需要。

关键词：中国传统节日；文化交流；文化内涵一、文化翻译观的概念一般来讲，语言和文学翻译可以看作是关于翻译的内部研究，而文化翻译则可被当作翻译的外部研究。

文化翻译观是一种规则，它同时研究了语言、文化和翻译的内部和外部规律。

文化翻译观打破了文学翻译观中的民族界限并提供了更高和更广阔的空间让人们去开展翻译研究。

二、中国传统节日在英译中的问题和困难(一)处理源语言时遇到的困难根据作者收集到的有关中国传统节日的英译资料，在处理源语言时，有如下问题存在于几乎所有的文本中：不好的源语言选择可能会使介绍要不是太宽泛就是不相关，这仅仅源于事实，有差劲的结构或者根本没重点。

每个节日都有其悠久的历史，它形成并发展的过程受中华文化、人们的活动和信仰的影响，所以相关的神话和名人在人们的生活中发挥着重要的作用。

(二)不同节日有其精神内涵节日的精神内涵是指反映在神话传说和名人中与其相关的传统价值观。

有一些学者认为，节日承载了太多的种族色彩，这使得节日太过严肃以至于不能起到放松和有趣的效果。

但是作者认为，每一个节日都是受到中国文化、人们的信仰和活动的影响进而形成和发展而来的，所以节日的精神内涵在人民的生活中扮演着重要的角色。

三、中国传统节日英译的方法(一)音译音译主要是指将一个词转换成另一种语言中与其对应的字母。

这种方法主要保留了源语言的发音和含义的主要功能。

在翻译一些节日的名称时，音译常被使用。

54海外文摘OVERSEAS DIGEST 海外文摘2020年第24期总第831期No.24,2020Total of 8311春节的起源阴历正月初一是春节，俗称“过年”。

春节是阴历新年的第一天，中华民族最盛大的传统节日，已有4000多年的历史。

春节起源于中国原始社会的“腊祭”。

据说腊祭当天，人们杀猪、准备好祭品，以祈求明年风调雨顺。

《中国民间信仰风俗辞典》解释：“腊即岁终祭众神之名，因而春节乃是由一年农事毕后为报答神的恩赐而来[2]。

至于“春节”一名，最早见于《后汉书杨震》：“又冬无宿雪，春节未雨，百僚焦心。

”古人们把谷的生长周期称为“年”，《说文禾部》里对 “年”下定义：“年，谷熟也”。

秦始皇统一后，改用颛顼历，以建亥孟冬之月(阴历十月)的初为“年”。

汉高祖刘邦建立汉朝后，相沿秦朝颛顼历，以阴历十月月朔为“年”。

汉武帝时，因为多次改历，历法呈现“朔晦月见，弦满望高”(《汉书·律历志》)的庞杂征象，他便命司马迁、落下闳、邓同等人改《颛顼历》，以农历为根据，另作《太始历》，正月初一为“年”。

由此正月初一为春节的习俗就由此确定。

春节的最早含义，一是庆丰收，《诗经·豳风七月》就记载了西周时期的“年节”活动。

先民们在新年(十一月月朔)到来之际，拿出用枣和稻酿造的醪酒，白叟喝了会健康长寿。

为庆祝一年的收获和新一年的到来，人们捧上两樽美酒，杀上只羊，抬上公堂，高举牛角杯，同声祝贺：“万寿无疆!”二是祭祖，《诗经周颂康年》就保存了秋收后祭祖的情形：“丰年多黍多徐，亦有高廪，万亿及秭，为酒为醴，熏畀祖妣，以洽百礼，降福孔皆。

用丰收的五谷酿成酒和醴，再加上百种丰厚的祭品，祭祀先祖先妣和神灵，让列祖和神灵的恩泽遍施人间，永保农业丰收。

2中国春节民俗文化及其汉英翻译方法探析２．１拜年——Ｓｐｒｉｎｇ　Ｆｅｓｔｉｖａｌ’ｓ　Ｇｒｅｅｔｉｎｇ与亲朋好友拜年是春节文化习俗之一，是国人表达祝福的一种方式。

中国传统节日的英文翻译
中国传统节日的英文翻译
春节the Spring Festival （ New Year's Day of the Chinese lunar calendar）农历正月初一
元宵节（灯节）the Lantern Festival 农历正月十五
清明节the Qing Ming Festival/Tomb-sweeping Day四月五日
端午节the Dragon-Boat Festiva农历五月初五
中秋节the Mid Autumn Festival（the Moon Festival）农历八月十五
重阳节the Double Ninth Festival农历九月初九
其它节日的英文翻译
元旦New Year's Day Jan.1
国际劳动妇女节International Working Women' s Day（Women's Day） Mar.8
国际劳动节nternatlonal Labor Day（May. Day）May.1
中国青年节Chinese Youth Day May.4
国际儿童节International Children's Day（Children's Day）June .1
中国共产党诞生纪念日（党的生日）Anniversary of the Foundlng of the ChineseCommunist Party（ the Party' s Birthday）July .1
建军节Army Day August .1
教师节Teachers ' Day Sept.1
国庆节National Dey Oct.1。

中国传统节日的英文介绍和讨论I 中国主要传统节日的英文翻译元旦(1月1日)New Year's Day春节(农历一月一日)the Spring Festival元宵节(农历一月十五日)the Lantern Festival清明节(4月5日)Ching Ming Festival; Tomb-sweeping Festival端午节(农历五月初五)the Dragon Boat Festival中秋节(农历八月十五)Mid-autumn (Moon) Festival重阳节(农历九月九日)Double-ninth Day除夕(农历十二月三十日)New Year's EveII 新年习俗英译过年celebrate the spring festival 春联spring festival couplets剪纸paper-cuts年画new year paintings买年货do shopping for the Spring Festival ; do Spring Festival shopping敬酒propose a toast灯笼lantern 烟花fireworks爆竹firecrackers (people scare off evil spirits and ghosts with the loud pop.)红包red packets 舞龙dragon dance (to expect good weather and good harvests)舞狮lion dance (the lion is believed to be able to dispel evil and bring good luck.) 戏曲traditional opera杂耍variety show 灯谜riddles written on lanterns灯会exhibit of lanterns守岁staying-up 禁忌taboo拜年pay new year's call; give new year's greetings; pay new year's visit去晦气get rid of the ill- fortune祭祖宗offer sacrifices to one's ancestors压岁钱gift money; money given to children as a lunar new year gift旧岁bid farewell to the old year扫房spring cleaning; general house-cleaning年糕nian-gao; rise cake; new year cake 团圆饭family reunion dinner年夜饭the dinner on new year's eve饺子jiao zi -; chinese meat ravioli ,dumplingsIII XINHUA NEWS AGAENCY REPORTChina to discuss making traditional festivals legal holidays2007-11-07BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China may increase the number of legal holidays and include some traditional festivals, such as the Tomb-Sweeping Day, the Dragon Boat Festival and t he Mid-Autumn Festival, as part of the country's legal holidays, sources said.The Chinese government has formed a preliminary plan on the new legal holiday arran gement and the plan will be released "in the near future". After that public opinion will be sought on the Internet.As an ancient country with a civilized history of more than 5,000 years, some tradition al festivals represent part of the Chinese nation's cultural heritage. However, current legal ho liday arrangement only includes the Spring Festival.Cai Jiming, professor with Tsinghua University and member of the Chinese People's Po litical Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said that traditional festivals as legal holiday would help reserve the folk customs."The nation's traditional culture will find its way to develop," Cai said.Feng Jicai, a renowned Chinese writer who upholds folk customs, said the cultural mea ning of Chinese traditional festivals should be restored and emphasized, especially with incre asing globalization.Chinese people currently have ten days of legal holiday. Nine days are for May Day, t he National Day and the Spring Festival, with three days for each, and one day for New Y ear's Day.However, the weekends on one side of the first three holidays are designated as two w orking days, and people enjoy two days off on the working days, which makes the holiday a consecutive seven days. Millions of Chinese travel during the holidays, so earning them the name "golden weeks".Regarded as one of the most important days on the Chinese calendar, the Tomb-Sweepi ng Day, or Qingming festival, which usually occurs on April 4 or 5 each year, was establis hed by a Chinese emperor in memory of a loyal official who sacrificed himself to save the emperor's life more than 2,500 years ago.The day gradually became a traditional occasion for paying homage to ancestors and de parted family members.The Dragon Boat Festival has been celebrated for thousands of years to commemorate Qu Yuan, a great Chinese patriotic poet, who lived in the state of Chu during the Warring States period (475 B.C. to 221 B.C.). He drowned himself in the Miluo River in today's H unan Province in 278 B.C., on fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, h oping his death would alert the king to revitalize the kingdom.The tradition arose that on the day of his death dragon boat races would be held and people should eat "zongzi", glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves.The Mid-Autumn festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the luna r calendar, is considered an occasion for reunion of family members and loved ones. On the occasion, they would eat moon cakes, light lanterns while enjoying the full moon - an au spicious symbol of abundance, harmony and luck.The festival was flavored by the legend of Chang'e, a lonely fairy on the moon. Accor ding to the legend, she was the beautiful wife of Hou Yi, a hero who shot down nine suns scorching the earth but was slain by his apprentice Feng Meng. Threatened by the murdere r, Chang'e drank an elixir and flew to the moon.China introduced the "Golden week" holidays in 1999, in a bid to boost domestic cons umption.It was reported that tourism revenue has increased from 14.1 billion yuan (1.76 billion U.S. dollars) during the National Day holiday in 1999 to 64.2 billion yuan during the "Gol den week" this October.Statistics also showed that the year 2001 alone saw tourist numbers reach 780 million, much higher than the figure of 240 million in 1989. While China's outbound tourists rose t o 12.13 million in 2001, a big jump from 3 million in the early 1990s.But after several years' experience, complaints about overcrowding, poor service, a scarc ity of hotel rooms, and damage to scenic spots, especially historic sites, during the "Golden Week" holidays have spurred debate over the merits of the week-long holiday concept.Last year, Cai Jiming proposed shortening the National Day and May Day holidays fro m three days to one day and distributing the days to celebrate four traditional festivals - th e Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Day, Tomb-Sweeping Day, and New Year's Eve.Other Chinese scholars have also reiterated their belief that the important traditional Chi nese festivals should be made public holidays."The current holiday system does not accord with the long-standing customs of Chinese people," said Liu Quili, President of the Chinese Folklore Society.Huang Tao, an associate professor of the People's University of China, said the most ef fective measures to protect cultural festivals were to make the traditional festivals legal holi days to enable more people to understand the importance of tradition.IV 中国传统节日的整体介绍Traditional Chinese FestivalsBoasting rich cultural meaning and a long history, traditional Chinese festivals compose an i mportant and brilliant part of Chinese culture.The formation of traditional festivals is a long process of historical and cultural accumulatio n in a nation or a state. Festival customs passed down to today still show signs of ethnic g roup struggles. Festival activities always reflect primitive sacrifice, superstitious taboo and ea rthly life, people's spirit and religious influence. Sometimes historical figures become the foc us of a festival, showing people's commemoration for them and endowing some historical se nse to it.Moreover, traditional Chinese festivals were often connected with ancient astronomy, calenda rs and mathematics. Jieqi, or the 24 seasonal division points, is a key factor in forming tra ditional festivals. According to the traditional Chinese calendar, a year is divided into 24 po ints, which can accurately show seasonal changes and acts as a basic guidance system for a gricultural production. The 24 seasonal division points came into being in the Warring State s Period (475 BC-221 BC).Most traditional festivals took shape during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), the first unified and power-centralized dynasty of China. By the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), China ha d experienced a great development period and major traditional festivals were fixed. In the most prosperous Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), traditional festivals liberated themselves from primitive sacrifice, taboo and mystery and became more entertaining. From then on, festive occasions turned more brisk and exciting and more and more folk customs were developed.Some festivals and customs we still follow today, but others disappeared into the mists of ti me.As China is a vast land and has many ethnic groups, different ethnic groups have different festivals in different places. Even on the same festival, they follow different customs. Here we introduce some important and commonly celebrated festivals. In fact, these traditional fes tivals have absorbed nourishment from different regions and various ethnic cultures and are a precious cultural heritage for the whole Chinese nation and its guests.。