春节相关民俗术语英译参考

中国民俗文化是民间智慧的结晶，是中国传统文化的重要组成部分，做好民俗文化的翻译和对外传播具有重要意义。现摘录《词典》中与春节相关的民俗术语及释义，以中英文对照形式呈现，供读者学习参考。

春节

Spring Festival; Chinese New Year

中华民族最重要的传统节日，又称“旧历新年”。春节的正日是农历每年的正月初一，但传统民俗中从腊月二十三（祭灶）到正月十五（元宵节）的一段时间都可称为春节，包括辞旧和迎新两大主题。从腊月二十三祭灶开始，人们就开始为除夕和正月初一进行一系列准备活动，包括扫尘、置办年货和新衣、张贴春联和年画、理发沐浴等。除夕守岁，吃团圆饭，发压岁钱；正月初一起，人们身着新衣，燃放爆竹迎接新年，走亲访友互相拜年。春节期间各地还举办庙会和其他丰富多彩的娱乐活动。包括汉族在内的中国许多民族、海外华人以及受中华文化影响的部分周边国家和民族都有庆祝春节的习俗。

The most important traditional festival in China, also called Chinese New Year. The Spring Festival falls on the first day of the first lunar month, but according to traditional customs it refers to the period from the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month (worshipping the Kitchen God) to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (the Lantern Festival). The Spring Festival is when people ring out the old year and ring in the new.

Beginning on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, people start preparing for New Year’s Eve by cleaning the house, making special purchases for the Spring Festival, and pasting New Year pictures and couplets on the walls. They usually stay up all night on New Year’s Eve, which is calledshousui. On this day, family members eat dinner together and give one another ahongbao – a traditional red envelope containing money.

On the first day of the first lunar month, they wear new clothes and set off firecrackers to welcome the New Year. They also deliver New Year’s greetings to relatives and friends. During the Spring Festival, temple fairs and other activities are held. The Spring Festival is celebrated by Han people as well as other Chinese ethnic groups, overseas Chinese, and those living in neighboring countries influenced by Chinese culture.

除夕

Chinese New Year’s Eve

中国传统节日春节中最重要的组成部分，指农历岁末最后一天的夜晚，俗称大年三十、大年夜。除夕是除旧迎新的重要时间界点，也是中国人最为看重的家庭团圆之夜。除夕这天人们无论身在何处，都要想办法赶回家，与全家人一起吃团年饭；这是一年中最丰盛隆重的一顿饭。除夕夜家家户户灯火通明，燃放鞭炮，传说这是为了吓走一个叫“夕”的吃人怪兽，这就是“除夕”的来历。虽然除夕的一些习俗已经随着社会的发展而发生了变化，但除夕在中国人心目中的重要性仍然超过其他任何节日。

A Chinese holiday which is the key part of the Spring Festival celebrations. Also known asdanian ye ordanian sanshi (Chinese New Year’s Eve). It is the last day of the calendar, and is the time when people ring out the old and ring in the new. It is the most anticipated holiday in Chinese culture, with family members all gathering together – some from very far – especially for the New Year’s Eve meal, usually the most sumptuous meal of the year. The whole family stays up all night to welcome the New Year, and people light firecrackers as midnight arrives to scare awayXi – a human-eating demon – which is the origin ofchuxi (literally: to get rid ofXi). Although somechuxi customs have changed due to societal development, the importance ofchuxi in Chinese culture exceeds that of any other celebration.

过小年

celebratingXiaonian (Minor Chinese New Year)

中国传统年节习俗，标志着春节的开始。许多地方有祭灶、扫尘、剪窗花等习俗。由于各地风俗不同，过小年的时间也不尽相同，北方一般在腊月二十三日，南方一般在腊月二十四日。小年意味着人们开始为新年做好准备，表示新年要有新气象。

A traditional Chinese custom that celebrates the start of the weeks-long Spring Festival. In many localities there are the customs of offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God, sweeping the dust from the house, and making window paper-cuts.

Since the customs vary in different localities, the time to celebrate “the Minor Chinese New Year” also varies. In northern China, it is typically celebrated on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, and in southern China it is held one day later on the twenty-fourth. The custom implies that people are beginning to make preparations for the coming new year and that this new year will be a fresh start.

春联

Spring Festival couplet; New Year scroll

对联的一种，春节期间张贴在大门或楹柱上的联语。春联内容喜庆、吉祥，寄托了一家人对新一年的美好愿望。多用大红纸书写，增添新年喜庆氛围；但庙宇用黄纸，守制（服孝未满）用白、绿、黄三色，守制第一年用白纸，第二年用绿纸，第三年用黄纸，第四年服丧期满才恢复用红纸。贴春联是全球华人过春节的重要标志。时至今日，每逢春节，家家户户都要精选春联贴于门上，辞旧迎新、迎祥纳福。

A kind of rhyming couplet pasted on both sides of the doors or pillars of a home during Spring Festival. They generally feature black or gold characters written on red paper and festive and auspicious content that expresses the family’s best wishes for the coming New Year and enlivens the festive atmosphere.

Couplets for temples are written on yellow paper, those for families in mourning are written on white paper in the first year after death, green paper in the second year, yellow paper in the third year, and red paper again in the fourth year.

Hanging up Spring Festival couplets is one of the most important customs when celebrating Chinese New Year. Today, every Chinese family carefully chooses Spring Festival couplets to ring out the old year and ring in the new, and pray for happiness and auspiciousness.

窗花

paper-cut as a window decoration; window paper-cut

民间剪纸艺术的一种，因用于装饰窗户而得名。逢年过节，人们喜欢在窗户上张贴各种剪纸窗花，既烘托喜庆的节日氛围，也表达人们追求幸福的美好愿景。窗花内容多为象征吉祥富贵的动物、花卉，如“五谷丰登”、“六畜兴旺”、“龙凤呈祥”等，还有神话传说、戏曲故事等题材，多用红、绿纸剪成，极富生活气息和艺术感染力，深受人们喜爱。

Folk paper-cutting artworks used to decorate windows. During the Chinese New Year and other holidays, people enjoy pasting paper-cuts on their windows for decoration which creates a festive atmosphere and shows people’s aspiration for happiness.

Paper-cuts used as window decorations are usually made of red and green paper, and they contain rich patterns such as animals and flowers that symbolize auspiciousness and prosperity, myths and legends, and stories from traditional operas. The art form is widely popular and adored by most Chinese people.

贴福字

mounting characterfu (blessings)

中国传统年俗。每逢新春佳节，许多中国人要在门上、墙上或是家具上贴上大大小小的纸福字。“福”字象征着幸福、福气。贴福字体现了人们希望幸福生活的美好愿望。有的人家还会将福字倒贴，讨个“福到”的口彩。

A traditional Chinese New Year custom. As the Chinese New Year approaches, people mount pieces of paper in various sizes with the characterfu (blessings) on doors, walls and furniture.

Fu means good luck and blessings, and pasting this character is a way to express people’s hope for a happy life.Some people paste the character fu upside down, as the words for“upside-down” (倒) and“to arrive” (到) are homophonous. Therefore, the phrase an“upside-downfu” sounds nearly identical to the phrase“Good luck arrives.”

年画

New Year picture; Spring Festival painting

中国民间特有的美术形式。始于古代的“门神画”，大都用于新年时张帖，装饰环境，含有祝福新年吉祥喜庆之意。早期年画多为人工绘制，随着木版印刷技术的发展，木版印刷的年画逐渐成为主流。明清时代，年画成为过年不可缺少的民俗艺术品，“有钱无钱，买张画儿过年。”上自宫廷王公大臣，下至民间贩夫走卒，新年均买年画张贴。

A unique style of Chinese folk painting, with door-god pictures as its earliest form. They are usually hung during the Chinese New Year as decorations and as hopes for an auspicious new year. The earliest New Year pictures were painted, but with the development of printing techniques, woodblock New Year pictures became mainstream.

During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1616-1911) dynasties, New Year pictures gradually became an indispensable form of artwork during festivals. As an old saying goes, “Rich or not, one has to buy a picture to celebrate the New Year.” From court ministers down to street peddlers, people from all walks of life buy the New Year pictures to decorate their homes during the Lunar New Year holiday.