有关春节的英语小故事
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.
– -你自己删选个简单的段
关于春节的英语小故事
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.
关于春节方面的英语故事,介绍等.(spring fastival)
history of spring festival
the spring festival, also known as the lunar new year, is the most important traditional festival in china, which falls on in late january or early february.
the historical reason for beginning the new year in such a time is that it is the time between autumn harvest and spring plowing and planning. in another words, it is the time for rest, relaxation and celebration after a year’s toil. except this practical reason for celebrating the spring festival, a popular chinese legend offers another explanation, which is affectedly known in china. in ancient time, a mythological demon called” nian” that lived under the sea would plague people once a year on the even of the new year. it jumped out from the sea, attacked villages, devouring people, animals and plants. could no longer bear nian’s brutal persecution, the villagers gathered to discuss how to deal with” nian” and some people suggested that the demon was afraid of loud noises, red color and flame. so people lighted firecrackers, put on red couplets on their gates, lit firework and beat gongs and drums to drive nian away. the idea worked and nian ran away. since ever, the custom and tradition of celebrating the spring festival born and the practice of putting red couplets on gates, setting off firecrackers, etc have been passed down.
how do chinese people celebrate the spring festival
spring festival is a time for celebrating with family and friends. no matter wherever, how busy they are, the chinese will squeeze into the roads going home to spend the festival season with their family members. traditionally, the chinese celebrate the spring festival in the following ways:
spring cleaning: from december 23rd in the chinese calendar, people begin to clean their houses to bid farewell to the old year and usher in a happy and fresh new year.
spring decorating: people hang flower-decorated red lanterns in front of their houses. office buildings and stores are also decorated with red lanterns. red couplets-red posters with black chinese calligraphy, colored new year paintings are posted on the doors of people’s houses. they symbolize happiness, prosperity and good luck in the new year.
英文新年小故事
when the young waitress in the café in tom’s building started waving hello everyday. tom was flattered, for she was at least 15 years younger than he. one day she waved and beckoned to tom again. when tom strolled over, she asked, “are you single?”
“why, yes,” tom replied, smiling at her broadly.
“so is my mom,” she said. “would you like to meet her?”
约会
在汤姆工作的大楼里有一个咖啡屋，那儿总有一位小姐每天都和他打招呼。汤姆有些受宠若惊，因为这位小姐看上去至少比他年轻15岁。一天她又对汤姆招手并示意汤姆过去。于是汤姆走了过去。她问道，“您现在是单身吗？” “对，是单身，”汤姆满脸堆笑的说。 “我母亲也是，”她说，“您愿不愿意见见她？”
关于新年英语小故事
three little pigs is a fairy tale featuring talking animals. published versions of the story date back to the late 18th century, but the story is thought to be much older. the story was assured its place in world’s folklore thanks to an immensely popular 1933 walt disney animated cartoon.(这一段是基本介绍,可作背景资料用)
mother pig sends her three little piglets out into the world to live on their own.
the first little pig builds a house of straw, but a wolf blows it down and eats the pig. the encounter between wolf and pig features ringing proverbial phrases:
one day the big bad wolf came and knocked on the first little pig’s door and said, “little pig, little pig, let me come in.” and the little pig answered, “no, no, i won’t let you come in, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.” “well,” said the wolf, “then i’ll huff and i’ll puff and i’ll blow your house in.” so he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house down and ate the little pig.
the second pig builds a house of sticks, has the same conversation with the wolf, and meets the same fate.
the third pig builds a house of brick. the wolf cannot huff and puff hard enough to blow the house down. he attempts to trick the third little pig out of his house, but the pig outsmarts him at every turn. finally, the wolf threatens to come down the chimney, whereupon the third little pig boils a pot of water into which the wolf plunges. the little pig cooks the wolf and eats him
