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The Spring Festival The Spring Festival, also know as the lunar New Year, is the greatest traditional festival. It is usually a time between late January or early February, which means rest and relaxation between winter and spring after a year's toil, and means celebration as well. Before the Spring Festival, people clean their house, put red coupletson their gates, and set off firecrackers, according to fairy tale, for driving a demon, named Nian away. On the eve of the Spring Festival, a get-together banquet is a must, and the most popular food is Dumpling, which is supposed to bring good fortune. On the first day of the new year, everybody wears new clothes and greets relatives and friends with bows and congratulations wishing each other lucky during the new year. Spring Festival The New Moon on the first day of the new year-- the full moon 15 days later Click here for more words about the Spring Festival Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon（新月）on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon（满月）15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival（元宵节）, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade. The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle（月运周期）is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year （闰年）. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth（万物）, the gods of the household and the family ancestors. The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals（仪式）, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family. The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations. The Origin of Chinese New Year The Chinese New Year is now popularly known as the Spring Festival because it starts from the Begining of Spring (the first of the twenty-four terms in coodination with the changes of Nature). Its origin is too old to be traced. Several explanations are hanging around. All agree, however, that the word Nian, which in modern Chinese solely means "year", was originally the name of a monster beast that started to prey on people the night before the beginning of a new year. One legend goes that the beast Nian had a very big mouth that would swallow a great many people with one bite. People were very scared. One day, an old man came to their rescue, offering to subdue Nian. To Nian he said, "I hear say that you are very capable, but can you swallow the other beasts of prey on earth instead of people who are by no means of your worthy opponents?" So, it did swallow many of the beasts of prey on earth that also harrassed people and their domestic animals from time to time. After that, the old man disappeared riding the beast Nian. He turned out to be an immortal god. Now that Nian is gone and other beasts of prey are also scared into forests, people begin to enjoy their peaceful life. Before the old man left, he had told people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at each year's end to scare away Nian in case it sneaked back again, because red is the color the beast feared the most. From then on, the tradition of observing the conquest of Nian is carried on from generation to generation. The term "Guo Nian", which may mean "Survive the Nian" becomes today "Celebrate the (New) Year" as the word "guo" in Chinese having both the meaning of "pass-over" and "observe". The custom of putting up red paper and firing fire-crackers to scare away Nian should it have a chance to run loose is still around. However, people today have long forgotten why they are doing all this, except that they feel the color and the sound add to the excitement of the celebration. Traditional New Year Foods Probably more food is consumed during the New Year celebrations than any other time of the year. Vast amounts of traditional food is prepared for family and friends, as well as those close to us who have died. On New Year's Day, the Chinese family will eat a vegetarian dish called jai. Although the various ingredients in jai are root vegetables or fibrous vegetables, many people attribute various superstitious aspects to them. Other foods include a whole fish, to represent togetherness and abundance, and a chicken for prosperity. The chicken must be presented with a head, tail and feet to symbolize completeness. Noodles should be uncut, as they represent long life. In south China, the favorite and most typical dishes were nian gao, sweet steamed glutinous rice（糯米）pudding and zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped up in reed（芦苇）leaves), another popular delicacy. In the north, steamed-wheat bread (man tou) and small meat dumplings were the preferred food. The tremendous amount of food prepared at this time was meant to symbolize abundance and wealth for the household. The 15-Day Celebration of Chinese New Year The first day of the Lunar New Year is "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth."Many people abstain from meat on the first day of the new year because it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them. On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs. The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law. The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends on the fifth day because it will bring both parties bad luck. On the sixth to the 10th day, the Chinese visit their relatives and friends freely. They also visit the temples to pray for good fortune and health. The seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success. On the eighth day the Fujian people have another family reunion dinner, and at midnight they pray to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven. The ninth day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor. The 10th through the 12th are days that friends and relatives should be invited for dinner. After so much rich food, on the 13th day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system. The 14th day should be for preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival which is to be held on the 15th night.
下一个路岔
例句：
The Spring Festival is only a week away.
离春节只有一周了。
The whole family will get together at Spring Festival.
春节期间全家人都会聚在一起。
Even if you book/ reserve tickets in advance during the Spring Festival, you may still fail to get one.
在春节期间即使提前订票，你也仍可能买不到。
紫竹幽阁Nina
春节的来历英语简单版
导语：相传，中国古时候有一种叫"年"的怪兽，头长触角，凶猛异常。"年"长年深居海底，每到除夕才爬上岸，吞食牲畜伤害人命。因此，每到除夕这天，村村寨寨的人们扶老携幼逃往深山，以躲避"年"兽的伤害。以下是我整理春节的来历英语简单版的资料，欢迎阅读参考。
Legend has it that there was an evil monster, a huge body, with horns like horns. The eyes are round. Living in a cave, it is the Lord of the mountains. Tigers, lions and black bears are like two lanterns. A blood basin mouth, one bite can swallow a person. This monster is called nian.
When he saw it, he ran for his life. The goat, the monkey, the hare heard its roar, and fell to the ground. He eats animals on the mountain. He lies in his hole and sleeps with his food. When the cold will be exhausted and the spring is coming soon, we will run down the mountain and eat people in the village. Therefore, the human is also very afraid of it, the child cries, as long as the mother said a "year", the child is frightened to be afraid to cry aloud.
There is an old man in the village who said, "there are three fears of red, noise and fire."
The villagers listened, and soon came up with a good idea. People burn bonfires in front of the village, and ashan and water pour into a single bamboo, and a crackle crackles in the fire. Several years running down the hill. Seeing the fire, he heard the noise, and sure enough, he ran back. So the night passed and the villagers were safe. The next day, on the first day of the first month, the villagers took out their delicious food, such as red orange and peanuts, and congratulated each other. "congratulations!"
Since then, people have called the first day of the lunar New Year "New Year". Every time it comes to this day, every family will stick red Spring Festival couplets, set off firecrackers, light red candles, wear red clothes, and symbolize "red" for geely. These customs are said to have evolved over the years.
春节的来历
相传远古时候，有一种凶恶的怪兽，身子庞大，头上长着像牛角一般的触角；眼睛圆滚滚的。年住在山洞里，它是山中霸王。老虎、狮子、黑熊活似两盏灯笼。一张血盆大嘴、一口可以吞食一个人。这种怪兽的名字叫做“年”。
一看到它，便吓得逃命；山羊、猴子、野兔听到它的吼叫，便瘫倒在地。年在山上捕食动物，吃饱便呼噜噜地躺在洞里睡大觉。每当严寒将尽、新春快来的时候，年便跑下山来，进村吃人。因此，人类也非常害怕它，小孩子哭了，只要妈妈说一声“年来了”，孩子就吓得不敢哭出声了。
另村有一位老爷爷说：“年有三怕红色，响声，火”
乡亲们听了，很快就想出一个好办法。大家在村前燃起篝火，阿山和阿水投入一根根竹子，火堆里发出“劈劈啪啪”的爆裂声。几只年跑下山。看到篝火，听到响声，果然又往回跑了。就这样，一夜过去了，乡亲们平安无事。第二天正月初一，乡亲们拿出红柑、花生米等好吃的东西一道吃，互相祝贺：“恭喜！”
从此，人们便把正月初一叫做“过年”。每当到了这一天，家家户户贴红春联，燃放鞭炮，点红蜡烛，穿红衣服，以“红”为吉利的象征。据说这些风俗都是当年抵御“年”的办法逐渐演化过来的。
爱宇冰冰
关于春节的历史英文
春节是中华民族最隆重的传统佳节，同时也是中国人情感得以释放、心理诉求得以满足的重要载体，是中华民族一年一度的狂欢节和永远的精神支柱。下面我们用英文来介绍一下春节的历史吧。
关于春节的历史英文
chinese new year celebration is the most important celebration of the year. chinese people may celebrate the chinese new year in slightly different ways but their wishes are almost the same; they want their family members and friends to be healthy and lucky during next year.
春节庆祝活动是一年中最重要的庆祝活动。中国人庆祝春节的方式可能略微不同，但其愿望几乎是相同的，他们希望其家人和朋友来年健康和幸运。
chinese new year celebration usually lasts for 15 days. celebratory activities include chinese new feast, firecrackers, giving lucky money to children, the new year bell ringing and chinese new year greetings. most of chinese people will stop the celebrating in their home on the 7th day of new year because the national holiday usually ends around that day, however celebrations in public areas can last until the 15th day of new year.
春节庆祝活动通常持续15天。庆祝活动包括春节的年夜饭，放鞭炮，给儿童压岁钱，春节钟声和春节问候。大多数中国人将在春节的第7天停止庆祝活动，因为全国性节假通常在这一天结束，但在公共场所的庆祝活动可能最终持续到正月十五。
house cleaning
房屋打扫
to clean houses on the new year even is a very old custom dating back to thousands of years ago. the dust is traditionally associated with “old” so cleaning their houses and sweeping the dust mean to bid farewell to the “old” and usher in the “new”. days before the new year, chinese families clean their houses, sweeping the floor, washing daily things, cleaning the spider webs and dredging the ditches. people do all these things happily in the hope of a good coming year.
春节打扫房屋这个非常古老的习俗甚至可以追溯到几千年前。灰尘在传统上与“旧”联系在一起，所以打扫房屋和扫除灰尘意味着辞“旧”迎“新”。春节的前几天，中国的各家各户都打扫房屋，扫地，清洗日用品，清除蛛网和疏浚沟渠。人们兴高采烈做所有这些事情，希望来年好运。
house decoration
房屋装饰
one of the house decorations is to post couplets on doors. on the spring festival couplets, good wishes are expressed. new year couplets are usually posted in pairs as even numbers are associated with good luck and auspiciousness in chinese culture.
房屋装饰之一就是在门上贴对联。在春联上，抒发良好的祝愿。春联通常是成对张贴，因为双数在中国文化中是好运气和吉祥的象征。
people in north china are used to posting paper-cut on their windows. when sticking the window decoration paper-cuts, people paste on the door large red chinese character “fu”a red "fu"means good luck and fortune, so it is customary to post "fu"on doors or walls on auspicious occasions such as wedding, festivals.
在中国北方，人们习惯于在窗户上贴剪纸。人们既在窗户上贴剪纸，又在大门上贴上大大的红色汉字“福”字，一个红色“福”字意味着好运和财富，因此习惯上在婚礼，节日之类的吉祥场合中，人们都会在门或墙上贴“福”字。
waiting for the first bell ringing of chinese new year
等待春节的第一声钟鸣
the first bell ringing is the symbol of chinese new year. chinese people like to go to a large squares where there are huge bells are set up on new year’s eve. as the new year approaches they count down and celebrate together. the people believe that the ringing of huge bell can drive all the bad luck away and bring the fortune to them. in recent years, some people have begun going to mountain temples to wait for the first ringing. hanshan temple in suzhou, is very famous temple for its first ringing of the bell to herald chinese new year. many foreigners now go to hanshan temple to celebrate chinese new year.
第一次钟声是春节的象征。中国人喜欢到一个大广场，那里有为除夕设置的大钟。随着春节的临近，他们开始倒计数并一起庆祝。人们相信了大钟的撞响可以驱除霉运，带来好运。近年来，有些人开始去山上寺庙等待第一次钟声。苏州的寒山寺就非常著名，它的'钟声宣布春节的到来。现在有许多外国人也去寒山寺庆祝春节。
staying up late ("shousui")
熬夜(“守岁”)
shousui means to stay up late or all night on new year's eve. after the great dinner, families sit together and chat happily to wait for the new year’s arrival。
守岁意味着除夕夜不睡觉。年夜饭后，家人聚坐一起，愉快聊天，等待春节的到来。
new year feast
年夜饭
spring festival is a time for family reunion. the new year's feast is "a must" banquet with all the family members getting together. the food eaten on the new year even banquet varies according to regions. in south china, it is customary to eat "niangao" (new year cake made of glutinous rice flour) because as a homophone, niangao means "higher and higher every year". in the north, a traditional dish for the feast is "jiaozi" or dumplings shaped like a crescent moon.
春节是与家人团聚的时间。年夜饭是所有家庭成员聚在一起“必须”的宴会。除夕宴会上吃的食物根据不同的地区各不相同。在中国南方，习惯吃“年糕”(糯米粉制成的新年糕点)，因为作为一个同音字，年糕意味着“步步高升”。在北方，年夜饭的传统饭是“饺子”或像月牙儿形的汤圆。
setting firecrackers
燃放鞭炮
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. 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. families stay up for this joyful moment and kids with firecrackers in one hand and a lighter in another cheerfully light their happiness in this especial occasion, even though they plug their ears.
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。但在小城镇和农村地区的人们仍然坚持这种传统的庆祝活动。除夕夜一旦时钟撞响午夜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。一家人熬夜就为这个欢乐的时刻，孩子们一手拿鞭炮，一手拿火机兴高采烈地点放着他们在这个特殊节日的快乐，尽管他们吓得捂着耳朵。
new year greetings(bai nian)
春节的问候(拜年)
on the first day of the new year or shortly thereafter, everybody wears new clothes and greets relatives and friends with bows and gongxi (congratulations)， wishing each other good luck, happiness during the new year. in chinese villages, some villagers may have hundreds of relatives so they have to spend more than two weeks visiting their relatives.
在春节第一天或此后不久，大家都穿着新衣服，带着弓向亲戚和朋友打招呼并恭喜(祝贺)，彼此祝愿在新的一年里好运，幸福。在中国农村，有些村民可能有数以百计的亲戚，所以他们不得不拿出两个多星期来走亲访友。
on the first day of the new year, it’s customary for the younger generations to visit the elders, wishing them healthy and longevity.
春节第一天，按习惯，小一辈人要拜见老一辈，祝愿他们健康长寿。
because visiting relatives and friends takes a lot of time, now, some busy people will send new year cards to express their good wishes rather than pay a visit personally.
因为探亲访友花费大量时间，所以，现在有些忙碌的人就送春节贺卡来表达他们的良好祝愿，而不是亲自去拜访。
lucky money
压岁钱
it is the money given to kids from their parents and grandparents as new year gift. the money is believed to bring good luck, ward off monsters; hence the name "lucky money". parents and grandparents first put money in small, especially-made red envelopes and give the red envelopes to their kids after the new year's feast or when they come to visit them on the new year. they choose to put the money in red envelopes because chinese people think red is a lucky color. they want to give their children both lucky money and lucky color.
这是孩子们的父母和祖父母给他们作为春节礼物的钱。压岁钱据说能带来好运，能驱魔；因此，就有了“压岁钱”的称呼。父母和祖父母先把钱放入特制的小红包里，年夜饭后或当孩子们来拜年时，将红包发给他们。他们之所以要把钱放到红包里，是因为中国人认为红色是个幸运色。他们想给自己孩子既有压岁钱还有幸运色。
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