中国传统节日英文介绍

中国传统节日英文介绍

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known

as "Spring Festival," the literal translation of the Chinese name 春節, since the spring season in

Chinese calendar starts with lichun, the first solar term in a Chinese calendar year. It marks the

end of the winter season, analogous to the Western Carnival. The festival begins on the first day

of the first month (正月) in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which

is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year's Eve, a day where Chinese families gather for their annual

reunion dinner, is known as Chúxī (除夕) or "Eve of the Passing Year.” Because the Chinese

calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year".

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar. The origin

of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and

traditions. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese

populations, such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia,

Malaysia, Mauritius, Philippines, Vietnam, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year

is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year

celebrations of its geographic neighbors.

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new

year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food,

and clothing. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly cleanse the house, in order to

sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be

decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or

"happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with

families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will

end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by

wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The

Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and

happiness for everyone.

Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, outside

China its years are often numbered from the reign of the Yellow Emperor. But at least three

different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year beginning in AD

2012 the "Chinese Year" 4710, 4709, or 4649。

The Lantern Festival（元宵节） is a festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in

the lunisolar year in the Chinese calendar, the last day of the lunisolar Chinese New Year

celebration. It is not to be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is sometimes also

known as the "Lantern Festival" in locations such as Singapore and Malaysia. During the Lantern

Festival, children go out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the

lanterns (猜灯谜). It officially ends the Chinese New Year celebrations.

In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, for only the emperor and noblemen had large

ornate ones; in modern times, lanterns have been embellished with many complex designs. For

example, lanterns are now often made in shapes of animals.

The first month of the Chinese calendar is called yuan month, and in ancient times people called

night xiao; therefore, the day is called Yuan Xiao Festival in mainland China and Taiwan. The

fifteenth day is the first night one can see a full moon in that lunar year. According to Chinese

tradition, at the very beginning of a new year, when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky,

there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. At this time,

people will try to solve puzzles on lanterns, eat yuanxiao ('元宵') (a glutinous rice ball, also

known as simplified Chinese: 汤圆) and enjoy a family reunion.

Qingming Festival(清明节) is when Chinese people visit the columbaria, graves or burial grounds

to pray to their ancestors.

The Qingming Festival is an opportunity for celebrants to remember and honour their ancestors

at grave sites. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea,

wine, chopsticks, joss paper, and/or libations to the ancestors. The rites have a long tradition in

Asia, especially among farmers. Some people carry willow branches with them on Qingming or

put willow branches on their gates and/or front doors. They believe that willow branches help

ward off the evil spirit that wanders on Qingming.

On Qingming, people go on family outings, start the spring plowing, sing, and dance. Qingming is

also a time when young couples traditionally start courting. Another popular thing to do is to fly

kites in the shapes of animals or characters from Chinese opera. Another common practice is to

carry flowers instead of burning paper, incense, or firecrackers.

Colored papers placed on a grave during Qingming Festival, Bukit Brown Cemetery, Singapore

Despite having no official status, the overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asian nations,

such as those in Singapore and Malaysia, take this festival seriously and observe its traditions

faithfully. Some Qingming rituals and ancestral veneration decorum observed by the oversea

Chinese in Malaysia and Singapore can be dated back to Ming and Qing dynasties, as the oversea

communities were not affected by the Cultural Revolution in Mainland China. Qingming in

Malaysia is an elaborate family function or a clan feast (usually organized by the respective clan

association) to commemorate and honour recently deceased relatives at their grave sites and

distant ancestors from China at home altars, clan temples or makeshift altars in Buddhist or Taoist

temples. For the oversea Chinese community, the Qingming festival is very much a family

celebration and, at the same time, a family obligation. They see this festival as a time of reflection

and to honour and give thanks to their forefathers. Overseas Chinese normally visit the graves of

their recently deceased relatives on the nearest weekend to the actual date. According to the

ancient custom, grave site veneration is only feasible ten days before and after the Qingming

Festival. If the visit is not on the actual date, normally veneration before Qingming is encouraged.

The Qingming Festival in Malaysia and Singapore normally starts early in the morning by paying

respect to distant ancestors from China at home altars. This is followed by visiting the graves of

close relatives in the country. Some follow the concept of filial piety to the extent of visiting the

graves of their ancestors in mainland China. Traditionally, the family will burn spirit money and