春节

字幕原文

Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday for Chinese people all over the world. 春节是全世界华人最重要的节日。

Unlike most holidays, it never falls on the same date — 与大多数节日不同，它的日期从不固定——

it follows the old lunar calendar, 它遵循古老的农历，

landing somewhere between late January 通常落在1月下旬

and mid-February. 到2月中旬之间。

It is also called the Spring Festival, because it welcomes the start of spring. 它也被称为春节，因为它迎接春天的到来。

There is an old legend behind it. 这背后有一个古老的传说。

A beast named Nian, whose name means "year," 一只名叫“年”的怪兽，它的名字意为“年”，

would come out the night 会在除夕夜出来

before the new year to prey on the villages. 袭击村庄。

A wise old man discovered the beast's weaknesses: it feared loud noises and the color red. 一位智者发现了怪兽的弱点：它害怕巨响和红色。

So people hung red decorations 于是人们挂上红色的装饰品，

and set off firecrackers to drive it away — 并燃放鞭炮把它赶走——

and they still do today. 这一习俗延续至今。

The celebration is full of meaning. 这个庆祝活动充满了意义。

Families clean the house, wear new clothes, 家家户户打扫房屋，穿上新衣服，

and decorate in red and gold — 并用红色和金色装饰——

red for happiness and energy, 红色代表幸福和活力，

gold for wealth. 金色代表财富。

Children receive "lucky money" in little red envelopes. 孩子们会收到装在小红包里的“压岁钱”。

And on New Year's Eve, families gather for a great feast, 而在除夕夜，家人们团聚享用丰盛的年夜饭，

then fill the midnight sky with fireworks. 然后用烟花点亮午夜的天空。

It is a funny thing: 有趣的是：

a holiday so familiar can sound brand new 一个如此熟悉的节日，当你学会用另一种语言讲述它的故事时，

when you learn to tell its story in another language. 听起来却焕然一新。