Vocabulary
二十四节气the 24 seasonal division points 民族ethnic group
重阳节Double Ninth Festival
腊八粥laba porridge
春联New year’s scrolls
庙会Temple Fairs
猜灯谜guessing lantern riddles
端午节Dragon Boat Festival
七夕节the Double Seven Festival
元宵节Lantern Festival
踩高跷stilts
扫墓sweep tombs
香囊perfume pouch
登高ascending a height
冬至Winter Solstice
The formal expressions of Chinese traditional festivals:
春节the Sprlng Festival （New
Yearls 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 四月五日前后
端午节the Dragon-Boat Festiva 农历五月初五
中秋节the MidAutumn Festival
（the Moon Festival）农历八月十五
七夕节the Double-Seventh Day农历七月初七
重阳节the Double Ninth Festival 农历九月初九
The expressions of customs:
春游spring outing
荡秋千playing on a swing
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 (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
压岁钱gift money; money given to children as a lunar new year gift
辞旧岁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
Translation
1. 中国的传统节日拥有丰富的文化意义和悠久的历史，组成了中华文化重要辉煌的一部分。节日的形成是一个国家历史文化积累起来的漫长过程。一些历史人物被赋予永恒的纪念渗入节日，所有这些，都融合凝聚节日的内容里，使中国的节日有了深沉的历史感。中国土地广袤有许多民族，不同民族在不同的地方有不同的节日。甚至在同一个节日，他们也遵习不同的风俗。在这里我们介绍一些重要普遍的节日。事实上，这些传统节日吸收了不同地域许多民族的营养，是整个中国的珍贵文化遗产。
Boasting rich cultural meaning and a long history, traditional
Chinese festivals compose an important and brilliant part of Chinese culture. The formation of traditional festivals is a long process of historical and cultural accumulation in a nation. Sometimes historical figures become the focus of a festival, showing people's commemoration for them and endowing some historical sense to it. 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 festivals have absorbed nourishment from different regions and various ethnic cultures and are a precious cultural heritage for the whole Chinese nation.
2. 传统节日是一个民族发展的历史产物。大多数传统节日都源自于人们在农业生产生活中对丰收的期盼、对天地神灵和自然的崇拜、以及对历史人物的祭奠等等。中国传统节日深深植根于农耕文化之中，在演变过程中深受儒家思想的影响。透过传统节日可以反映一个民族的文化特色和民族精神。从某种程度而言，中国传统节日已经渐渐摆脱原始禁忌和崇拜，演化成为体现儒家和谐思想的欢庆祥和的节日。传统节日定型于汉代，在盛唐时被发扬光大,成为具有丰富内容和多样形式的弘扬中华民族优秀传统文化和传承中华传统美德的重要载体。历代的文人雅士、诗人墨客，为一个个节日谱写了许多千古名篇，
