春节是中国一个古老的节日，也是全年最重要的一个节日，如何过庆贺这个节日，在千百年的历史发展中，形成了一些较为固定的风俗习惯，有许多还相传至今。Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year, is an ancient festival, and the most important annual event in China. New Year celebrations in the past thousands of years have given rise to some enduring customs, many of which are still prevailing.除夕守岁是最重要的年俗活动之一，守岁之俗由来已久。最早记载见于西晋周处的《风土志》：除夕之夜，各相与赠送，称为“馈岁”；酒食相邀，称为“别岁”；长幼聚饮，祝颂完备，称为“分岁”；大家终夜不眠，以待天明，称曰“守岁”。Staying up all night on Spring Festival's Eve is one of the most important festive activities, a tradition dating back to ancient times. The earliest reference is seen in Local Customs by Zhou Chu of Western Jin Dynasty (265 AD-317 AD): on the Spring Festival's Eve, people “mark the time of year” (Kui Sui) by exchanging gifts, “bid farewell to the past year” (Bie Sui) by getting together for dinner, “share the wishes for the new year” (Fen Sui) by making toasts, and “witness the turn of the year” (Shou Sui) by staying up till dawn.“一夜连双岁，五更分二天”，除夕之夜，全家团聚在一起，吃过年夜饭，点起蜡烛或油灯，围坐炉旁闲聊，等着辞旧迎新的时刻，通宵守夜，象征着把一切邪瘟病疫照跑驱走，期待着新的一年吉祥如意。这种习俗后来逐渐盛行，到唐朝初期，唐太宗李世民写有“守岁”诗：“寒辞去冬雪，暖带入春风”。直到今天，人们还习惯在除夕之夜守岁迎新。As a Chinese idiom puts it, “this night connects two years, and this dawn divides two days.” On Spring Festival's Eve, families get together for a reunion dinner, have some casual chats by the candle or lamp, and wait for the moment to usher in the New Year. By staying up all night, people hope to drive away all evils and diseases, and look forward to an auspicious year. This custom gained momentum in ancient times. In early Tang Dynasty (618 AD-907 AD), Emperor Taizong Li Shimin wrote a poem for this occasion, “Gone are the chilling winter snows, and enters the warm spring breeze.” Today, this tradition is still observed.古时守岁有两种含义：年长者守岁为“辞旧岁”，有珍爱光阴的意思；年轻人守岁，是为延长父母寿命。自汉代以来，新旧年交替的时刻一般为夜半时分。
The ancient Chinese stayed up all night on Spring Festival’s Eve for two reasons. The elderly would like to “bid farewell to the passing year” and cherish the time, while the young hoped to prolong the life of their parents with this ritual. Since the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), midnight has been recognized as the moment dividing the passing and coming years.
中国民间有“开门爆竹”一说。即在新的一年到来之际，家家户户开门的第一件事就是燃放爆竹，以哔哔叭叭的爆竹声除旧迎新。爆竹是中国特产，亦称“爆仗”、“炮仗”、“鞭炮”。其起源很早，至今已有两千多年的历史。放爆竹可以创造出喜庆热闹的气氛，是节日的一种娱乐活动，可以给人们带来欢愉和吉利。随着时间的推移，爆竹的应用越来越广泛，品种花色也日见繁多，每逢重大节日及喜事庆典，及婚嫁、建房、开业等，都要燃放爆竹以示庆贺，图个吉利。现在，湖南浏阳，广东佛山和东尧，江西的宜春和萍乡、浙江温州等地区是中国著名的花炮之乡,生产的爆竹花色多，品质高，不仅畅销全国，而且还远销世界。The everyday Chinese has a custom of “door-opening firecrackers” (Kai Men Bao Zhu). On New Year’s Day, every family would set off some firecrackers when they open the door for the first time of the year, so as to welcome the New Year with a crackling sound. Firecrackers are a Chinese product, also know as Bao Zhang, Pao Zhang, or Bian Pao. They have a history of over two thousand years. Setting off firecrackers creates a festive and gleeful ambience. It is a festive entertainment that brings joy and blessings to everyone. Today, firecrackers are used on various occasions, and come in many types. On major festivals or events like weddings, launching a building, opening a business, firecrackers are set off to celebrate and bring in good fortune. Today, Liuyang of Hunan, Foshan and Dongyao of Guangdong, Yichun and Pingxiang of Jiangxi, Wenzhou of Zhejiang and other places are known as hometowns of firecrackers. These cities produce different types of quality firecrackers for domestic consumption and export.
Firecrackers
Visiting Relatives and Friends新年的初一，人们都早早起来，穿上最漂亮的衣服，打扮得整整齐齐，出门去走亲访友，相互拜年，恭祝来年大吉大利。拜年的方式多种多样，有的是同族长带领若干人挨家挨户地拜年；有的是同事相邀几个人去拜年；也有大家聚在一起相互祝贺，称为“团拜”。由于登门拜年费时费力，后来一些上层人物和士大夫便使用各贴相互投贺，由此发展出来后来的“贺年片”。On the first day of the Lunar New Year, everyone gets up early and dress up properly to visit relatives and friends, and wish them an auspicious New Year. Such visits take many forms. The leader of a family may take several family members from door to door; colleagues may make such visits in groups; sometimes a group of people may gather together for “group greetings” (Tuan Bai). Because visiting one’s home takes both time and effort, some prestigious figures and officials developed a form of greeting via letters, which later became “New Year Cards.”Visiting Relatives and Friends春节拜年时，晚辈要先给长辈拜年，祝长辈人长寿安康，长辈可将事先准备好的压岁钱分给晚辈，据说压岁钱可以压住邪祟，因为“岁”与“祟”谐音，晚辈得到压岁钱就可以平平安安度过一岁。压岁钱有两种，一种是以彩绳穿线编作龙形，置于床脚，此记载见于《燕京岁时记》；另一种是最常见的，即由家长用红纸包裹分给孩子的钱。压岁钱可在晚辈拜年后当众赏给，亦可在除夕夜孩子睡着时，由家长偷偷地放在孩子的枕头底下。现在长辈为晚辈分送压岁钱的习俗仍然盛行。
During Spring Festival visits, the young should greet the elderly first and wish them longevity and health. The elderly would then give the young some New Year money. This practice is believed to suppress the devil and guarantee a safe year for the young, because the Chinese characters for “Year” and “Devil” are homophones. This money is given in two forms. One is noted in Record of the Seasons in Yanjing: the coins are linked by colorful ropes, braided in the form of a dragon and left at the end of the bed. Another is wrapping money in red envelopes. The money may be given in the presence of others after the young greeted the elderly. Parents may also put some money under the pillow when their kids are sound asleep in the night of Spring Festival’s Eve. Gifting New Year money still prevails in China.
在古代的农业社会里，大约自腊月初八以后，家庭主妇们就要忙着张罗过年的食品了。因为腌制腊味所需的时间较长，所以必须尽早准备，中国许多省份都有腌腊味的习俗，其中又以广东省的腊味最为著名。In the ancient agrarian society, starting from the eighth day of lunar December, housewives would be busy preparing Spring Festival food. Preserving meat takes a long time, and the housewives must start early. Many Chinese provinces have the custom of preserving meat, and the most renowned preserved meat is produced in Guangdong.蒸年糕，年糕因为谐音“年高”，再加上有着变化多端的口味，几乎成了家家必备的应景食品。年糕的式样有方块状的黄、白年糕，象征着黄金、白银，寄寓新年发财的意思。Steamed Spring Festival rice cake is also a must have for many families, because its name is a homophone of “new heights for every year,” and it comes in many flavors. Square yellow rice cake symbolizes gold, and white cake silver, which heralds a wealthy year.Steamed Spring Festival Rice Cake年糕的口味因地而异。北京人喜食江米或黄米制成的红枣年糕、百果年糕和白年糕。河北人则喜欢在年糕中加入大枣、小红豆及绿豆等一起蒸食。山西北部在内蒙古等地，过年时习惯吃黄米粉油炸年糕，有的还包上豆沙、枣泥等馅，山东人则用黄米、红枣蒸年糕。北方的年糕以甜为主，或蒸或炸，也有人干脆沾糖吃。南方的年糕则甜咸兼具，例如苏州及宁波的年糕，以粳米制作，味道清淡。除了蒸、炸以外，还可以切片炒食或是煮汤。甜味的年糕以糯米粉加白糖、猪油、玫瑰、桂花、薄荷、素蓉等配料，做工精细，可以直接蒸食或是沾上蛋清油炸。The flavors vary in different places. Beijing locals prefer rice cake made of glutinous rice or brown rice, sometimes mixed with red dates or multiple ingredients. Hebei locals enjoy steamed rice cake mixed with red dates, red beans and green beans. In northern Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, people have fried brown rice cake, sometimes stuffed with bean paste or date paste. People in Shandong make steamed rice cake with brown rice and red dates. The northern Chinese flavor is mostly sweet. The rice cakes are steamed or fried, and eaten with sugar dipping. The southern Chinese flavor can be either sweet or savory. People in Suzhou and Ningbo make light-flavored cakes with Japonica rice, which can be steamed, fried, sliced and stirred, or boiled for soup. Sweet rice cake is made of glutinous rice, white sugar, pork oil, rose and osmanthus flowers, mint and other ingredients. It takes delicate forms, and may be steamed or fried with an egg white coating.真正过年的前一夜叫团圆夜，离家在外的游子都要不远千里万里赶回家来，全家人要围坐在一起包饺子过年，饺子的作法是先和面做成饺子皮，再用皮包上馅，馅的内容是五花八门，各种肉、蛋、海鲜、时令蔬菜等都可入馅，正统的饺子吃法，是清水煮熟，捞起后以调有醋、蒜末、香油的酱油为佐料沾着吃。也有炸饺子、烙饺子（锅贴）等吃法。因为和面的“和”字就是“合”的意思；饺子的“饺”和“交”谐音，“合”和“交”又有相聚之意，所以用饺子象征团聚合欢；又取更岁交子之意，非常吉利；此外，饺子因为形似元宝，过年时吃饺子，也带有“招财进宝”的吉祥含义。一家大小聚在一起包饺子，话新春，其乐融融。The night before Spring Festival is a night for reunion. All family members would return home regardless of any long distance travel. The whole family would sit together and make dumplings. The first step is to make dumpling wrappers, and next step is to wrap some stuffing. The ingredients for stuffing are various. Any meat, egg, seafood, and vegetable can be added into the stuffing. The proper way to eat dumplings is to boil with water, and eat with dipping containing vinegar, garlic and sesame oil. Dumplings may also be fried or roasted (Guo Tie). “He Mian” (mixing the flour) sounds like “together,” and “Jiao Zi” (dumpling) “connect.” So dumplings are regarded as a symbol for happy reunions. Besides, “at the midnight” is pronounced as “Jiao Zi,” and the dumplings are usually shaped as golden ingots, giving them an auspicious meaning of “bringing in more wealth.” When the whole family is engaged in the making of dumplings, they are actually enjoying brisk conversations and the joy that is Spring Festival.
