VideoThe Spring Festival

Posted 2021-04-28 Foreigners Desk

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春节

The Spring Festival

春节，又称“过年”，指农历正月初一，是我国最大、最隆重的传统节日，大部分中华民族都过这个节日，家庭成员在这一天欢聚一堂，辞旧迎新。今年的中国春节是2019年2月5日，在这天，我们就进入了猪年。

The Spring Festival, also called Chinese New Year, is the largest and most ceremonious traditional festival in China. Most  Chinese ethnic groups celebrate this festival when Family members would get together to welcome the new year.

The Chinese New Year of 2019 will be the year of pig, starting from Feb.5th.

节日起源

The origin of the festival

传说在很久以前，有一种奇怪的野兽，叫做“年”。一到冬去春来的时候就出来，伤害人类，走时还叼走人们养的猪羊等家禽，闹得人心惶惶。后来有位老人发现年害怕红色、火光和炸响，制造出了爆竹，赶走了年。

当然，真正的来历是，古人重视祭祀和信仰，所以在年初的这一天祈年祭祀，表达对神灵和祖先的崇拜。

Long time ago, there was a strange beast, named “nian”. It came out when the spring began. “Nian” not only injured human beings, but also carried off livestock, such as pigs and sheep, which made people panicky. Then an old man found that “nian” was afraid of the red colour, fire and explosion. So he produced the firecracker, and drove away “nian” at last.

The real history is that our ancients attach great importance to the sacrifice and our beliefs. Therefore, the worship ceremony at the beginning of the new year shows our respect to the gods and ancestors.

节日的习俗

The customs of the festival

01

贴春联 

Sticking the couplets

春联是新年前一天写在红纸、布上或刻在木头、柱子上的对偶语句。每逢春节，家家户户都要精选春联贴于门上，为节日增加喜庆气氛，寄托了中国劳动人民一种辟邪除灾、迎祥纳福的美好愿望。贴春联的同时，人们往往也在门楣或墙壁倒贴上大大小小的“福”字，寓意福到了。

The couplets on Spring Festival is antithesis sentence written on paper, cloth or carved on  the woods. During the Spring Festival, each family stick the selected couplets on the gates, which builds up the happy atmosphere of the festival. Couplets custom expresses the will of Chinese laboring people, warding off bad luck to meet auspicious fortune and happiness. Meanwhile, people usually stick the character “Fu” upside down on the gates, in the middle of the couplets, deoting the coming of happiness . 

02

除夕守岁 

Staying up late on the New Year’s Eve

除夕是大年初一前夜，漂泊再远的游子也是要赶着回家去和家人团聚，一起吃团圆饭，看春晚。除此之外，还要守岁，指在除夕夜一家人熬夜迎接农历新年的到来。

“Chuxi” is the New Year’s Eve. Family members, no matter how far, people would come back to get together, have a superb reunion dinner and watch the gala on TV. Besides, people usually stay up late even all night to greet the New Year. We call that “shousui”.

03

压岁钱

New Year lucky money

长辈给晚辈的钱，也叫红包。压岁钱在民俗文化中寓意辟邪驱鬼，因为人们认为小孩容易受鬼祟的侵害，所以用压岁钱压祟驱邪、保佑平安。

The New Year lucky money is given from the elder to the younger . also called a red envelope. Lucky money in the folk culture can drive away the devil. People believe that children are vulnerable, so they give lucky money to bless peace.

04

拜年

Sending greetings for the New Year

 

Sending greetings is a way to welcome the new year and express one’s best wishes to each other. In the ancient time,”bainian” means sending greetings to the elder. With the development of the times, we have new methods of sending greetings, such as by phone, by telegraph or by short messages. From the first day to the 15th day of the new year, people usually say some good words, such as “gongxifacai”,”bubugaosheng”,”caiyuanguangjin” and so on.

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