The Spring Festival
Far and away the most important holiday in China is Spring Festival,also known as the Chinese New Year.To the Chinese people it is as important as Christmas to people in the West.The dates for this annual celebration are determined by the lunar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar,so the timing of the holiday varies from late January to early February.
To the ordinary Chinese,the festival actually begins on the eve of the lunar New Year's Day and ends on the fifth day of the first month of the lunar calendar.But the 15th of the first month,which normally is called the Lantern Festival,means the official end of the Spring Festival in many parts of the country.
關(guān)于春節(jié)的單詞：
春節(jié) The Spring Festival
農(nóng)歷 lunar calendar
正月 lunar January; the first month by lunar calendar
除夕 New Year's Eve; eve of lunar New Year
初一 the beginning of New Year
元宵節(jié) The Lantern Festival
過(guò)年 Guo-nian; have the Spring Festival
對(duì)聯(lián) poetic couplet:two successive rhyming lines in poetry
春聯(lián) Spring Festival couplets
剪紙 paper-cuts
年畫 New Year paintings
買年貨 special purchases for the Spring Festival ; do Spring Festival shopping
敬酒 propose a toast
燈籠 lantern:a portable light
煙花 fireworks
爆竹 firecrackers (People scare off evil spirits and ghosts with the loud pop.)
紅包 red packets (cash wrapped up in red paper,symbolize fortune and wealth in the coming year.)
舞獅 lion dance (The lion is believed to be able to dispel evil and bring good luck.)
舞龍 dragon dance (to expect good weather and good harvests)
戲曲 traditional opera
雜耍 variety show; vaudeville
燈謎 riddles written on lanterns
燈會(huì) exhibit of lanterns
守歲 staying-up
拜年 pay New Year's call; give New Year's greetings; New Year's visit
禁忌 taboo
去晦氣 get rid of the ill- fortune
祭祖宗 offer sacrifices to one's ancestors
壓歲錢 gift money; money given to children as a lunar New Year gift
辭舊歲 bid farewell to the old year
掃房 spring cleaning; general house-cleaning