中國人的傳統節日 Traditional Festivals

中國的重要節日 Major festivals

• 中國的重要節日有：春節、清明節、端午節、中秋節、重陽節。

• China's major festivals: the Spring Festival, Tomb Sweeping Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival.

中國新年 Chinese New Year

• 春節又稱中國新年，春節的慶祝是從農曆一月一日到農曆一月十五日。

• Spring Festival is also known as Chinese New Year. The celebration of Spring Festival starts from Lunar Year January 1 to January 15.

除夕 New Year's Eve

• 中國新年的前一天晚上叫除夕，全家人在一起吃年夜飯、守歲，所以年夜飯也叫團圓飯或圍爐。

• The night before Chinese New Year is called New Year's Eve. The family eats dinner together, stay up, so the dinner on the New Year’s Eve is also known as reunion dinner or dinner around furnace.

年夜飯 Dinner on the New Year’s Eve

• 年夜飯裏，通常會有許多象徵吉祥好運的年菜例如：魚和年糕等食物 。

• In the dinner on the New Year’s Eve, there usually are many dishes that are symbols of good luck, such as: fish and rice cakes and many other foods.

年夜飯

魚Fish

• 魚的發音和餘一樣，因此「年年有餘」就用來表示飯桌上的食物整年都不匱乏。

• Pronunciation of “fish” is same as “more”. So "more than enough every year" stands for the food on the table will not lack throughout the year.

年糕 New Year Cake

• 年糕是過春節時的一種應景食物，吃了年糕，代表每個人在新的一年各方面的表現都能步步高升。

• New Year Cake is a kind of occasional food for the New Year. Everyone eats the New Year cakes can rise higher and achieve higher performance in all aspects in the New Year.

傳統習俗Custom

• 中國人過年有許多的傳統習俗如：寫春聯，貼窗花，吃年夜飯，給紅包， 拜年， 祭祖等。

• There are many traditional practices in the Chinese New Year, such as: writing couplets, stickers window grilles, eat New Year’s Eve dinner, give red envelopes, New Year’s greetings, ancestor worship and so on.

窗花

春聯 Spring couplets

• 春聯是一種在春節時使用的傳統裝飾物，把賀年時說的吉祥話用書法寫在紅色紙上，以增加節日的喜慶氣氛。

• Spring couplets are used as traditional ornaments in the Chinese New year. Auspicious New Year’s greetings are written on red paper with the calligraphy, to increase the festive atmosphere.

春聯

春聯張貼Posting Spring Couplets

• 春聯貼於大門左右柱或壁上，分為上聯和下聯，格律規則與一般對聯相同，張貼時上聯在右，下聯在左。

• Spring couplets are posted on columns or walls around the door, with the first and the second line, sharing the same metrical rule with the general couplets. When posting the first line is on the right, and the second line on the left.

春聯的貼法

壓歲錢 Lucky money

• 春節時小孩子會給長輩拜年，長輩就會給小孩子紅包，叫「壓歲錢」。

• In Spring Festival children will greet the elders, and the elders will give children red envelopes, called "lucky money" .

紅包

新年的傳說故事 Legendary stories

• 中國新年的傳說故事中以年獸和十二生肖的故事最有名。

• The most famous legendary stories of Chinese New Year are the story of Nian beast and the story of zodiac animals.

年獸Nian beast

• 年獸的故事中相傳年獸害怕紅色的東西和很大的聲響，因此貼春聯和放鞭炮就成為過年時的習俗 。

• According to the legendary story of Nian beast, Nian was afraid of red stuffs and big noise, so it became Chinese New Year customs to post couplets and set off firecrackers.

年獸

十二生肖Zodiac

• 十二生肖是指鼠牛虎兔龍蛇馬羊猴雞狗豬十二種動物。每一生肖代表一年，每十二年一個循環。

• Zodiac animals include: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig twelve animals. Each animal represents one year. A cycle is twelve years.

十二生肖

元宵節Lantern Festival

• 農曆一月（正月）十五是元宵節，又稱為上元節，是春節慶祝的最後一天。

• January (first month) 15th of the lunar calendar is the Lantern Festival. It is the last day of Chinese New Year celebration.

元宵節的習俗 Custom of the Lantern Festival

• 元宵節的習俗有吃元宵（元宵在中國南方又稱為湯圓）、看花燈、猜燈謎。

• The custom of the Lantern Festival includes eating Yuan Xiao (also known as glutinous rice balls in southern China), seeing lanterns, and solving lantern riddles.

湯圓

花燈

花燈

燈謎

清明節 Ching Ming Festival

• 清明節的起源，據傳始於古代帝王將相的祭祖掃墓之活動，歷代沿襲而成為中華民族一種固定的風俗。

• The origin of the Ching Ming Festival, according to the legend, was from the grave swiping and ancestor worship activities by the royal families. Generations after generations it became a custom of the Chinese people.

清明祭祖掃墓

清明節的日期 Date of Ching Ming Festival

• 清明節是根據節氣而定的，通常在國曆的四月四日或五日。

• Ching Ming Festival, determined in accordance with Solar Terms, often falls on April 4 or 5 of solar calendar.

節氣 Solar Terms

• 中國以農立國，農事根據太陽進行，所以在曆法中訂立了反映太陽運行周期的「二十四節氣」，用來指導農事。

• China is an agricultural society. Agriculture depends on the Sun, so 24 solar terms were added in the calendar, to direct agricultural activities.

端午節 Dragon Boat Festival

• 每年農曆五月五日是端午節，端午節吃粽子，大掃除和賽龍船。端午節也是「詩人節」紀念愛國詩人屈原。

• May 5 of the lunar calendar is the Dragon Boat Festival. The customs of the Dragon Boat Festival includes eating dumplings, spring cleaning and the dragon boat race. Dragon Boat Festival is also the "Poet’s Day ", commemorating the patriotic poet Qu Yuan.

粽子

賽龍船

中秋節 Mid-Autumn Festival

• 中秋節為每年農曆的八月十五日。因為這一天月亮滿圓，象徵團圓，又稱為團圓節。

• August 15 of the lunar calendar is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Because this day is the full moon, symbolizing reunion, so this day is also known as the Reunion Day .

中秋節的習俗 Custom of Mid-Autumn Festival

• 賞月和吃月餅是過中秋節的必備習俗。中秋節最有名的民間故事是嫦娥奔月。

• The eessential practices of the Mid-Autumn Festival are watching the full moon and eating moon cakes. The most famous folk tales of the Mid-Autumn Festival is the Chang Er flying to the moon.

月餅

重陽節Double Ninth Festival

• 農曆九月初九是敬老節也叫「重陽節」，民間有登高的風俗。

• September 9 of lunar calendar is the Festival for the Elderly, also called the "Double Ninth Festival". A folk custom on this day is mountain climbing.

重陽節又名登高節