1、Greeting Season: 春節(jié) The Spring Festival 農(nóng)歷 lunar calendar 正月 lunar January; the first month by lunar calendar 除夕 New Years Eve; eve of lunar New Year 初一 the beginning of New Year 元宵節(jié) The Lantern Festival Customs: 過年 Guo-nian; have the Spring Festival 對聯(lián) poetic couplet; two successive rhyming lines i

2、n 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

3、 (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 lant

4、erns 燈會 exhibit of lanterns 守歲 staying-up 拜年 pay New Years call; give New Years greetings; New Years visit 禁忌 taboo 去晦氣 get rid of the ill- fortune 祭祖宗 offer sacrifices to ones ancestors 壓歲錢 gift money; money given to children as a lunar New Year gift Culture Note: In the old days, New Years money w

5、as given in the form of one hundred copper coins strung together on a red string and symbolized the hope that one would live to be a hundred years old. Today, money is placed inside red envelopes in denominations considered auspicious and given to represent luck and wealth 辭舊歲 bid farewell to the ol

6、d year 掃房 spring cleaning; general house-cleaning 金玉滿堂 Treasures fill the home 生意興隆 Business flourishes 歲歲平安 Peace all year round 恭喜發(fā)財(cái) Wishing you prosperity 和氣生財(cái) Harmony brings wealth 心想事成 May all your wishes come true 吉祥如意 Everything goes well 國泰民安 The country flourishes and people live in peace 招

7、財(cái)進(jìn)寶 Money and treasures will be plentiful 一帆風(fēng)順 Wishing you every success 步步高升 Promoting to a higher position 出入平安 Safe trip wherever you go 祝你新的一年快樂幸福: Wish you happiness and prosperity in the coming year! 事業(yè)成功，家庭美滿: Wish you success in your career and happiness of your family! Food names: 年糕 Nian-g

8、ao; rice cake; New Year cake 團(tuán)圓飯 family reunion dinner 年夜飯 the dinner on New Years Eve 餃子 Jiao-zi; Chinese meat ravioli; dumpling 湯圓 Tang-yuan; glue puddings; sweet dumplings; dumplings made of sweet rice, rolled into balls and stuffed with either sweet or spicy fillings 八寶飯 eight treasures rice pud

9、ding 糖果盤 candy tray: 什錦糖 assorted candies - sweet and fortune 蜜冬瓜 candied winter melon - growth and good health 西瓜子 watermelon seed - joy, happiness, truth and sincerity 金桔 cumquat - prosperity 糖蓮子 candied lotus seed - many descendents to come 糖藕 candied lotus root - fulfilling love relationship 紅棗

10、red dates - prosperity 花生糖 peanut candy - sweet Valentines DayFebruary 14 is Valentines Day. It is celebrated as a lovers holiday today, with the giving of candy, flowers, or other gifts between couples in love. Valentines Day has roots in several different legends that have found their way to us th

11、rough the ages.In Rome its said that it originated in 5th Century as a tribute to St. Valentine, a Catholic bishop.For eight hundred years prior to the establishment of Valentines Day, the Romans had practiced a pagan celebration in mid-February commemorating young mens rite of passage to the god Lu

12、percus. The celebration featured a lottery in which young men would draw the names of teenage girls from a box. The girl assigned to each young man in that manner would be his female companion during the remaining year.In an effort to do away with the pagan festival. Pope Gelasius ordered a slight c

13、hange in the lottery. Instead of the names of young women, the box would contain the names of saints. Both men and women were allowed to draw from the box, and the game was to emulate the ways of the saint they drew during the rest of the year. Needless to say, many of the young Roman men were not t

14、oo pleased with the rule Changes.Instead of the pagan god Lupercus, the Church looked for a suitable patron saint of love to take his place. They found an appropriate choice in Valentine, who, in AD270 had been beheaded 3 by Emperor Claudius.Claudius had determined that married men made poor soldier

15、s. So he banned marriage from his empire. But Valentine would secretly marry young men that came to him. When Claudius found out about Valentine, he first tried to convert him to paganism. But Valentine reversed the strategy, trying instead to convert Claudius. When he failed, he was stoned and behe

16、aded.During the days that Valentine was imprisoned, he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailer. His love for her, and his great faith, managed to miraculously heal her from her blindness before his death. Before he was taken to his death, he signed a farewell message to her, From your Val

17、entine. The phrase has been used on his day ever since.Although the lottery for women had been banned by the church, the mid-February holiday in commemoration of St. Valentine was stilled used by Roman men to seek the affection of women. It became a tradition for the men to give the ones they admire

18、d handwritten messages of affection, containing Valentines name.Another Valentine was an Italian bishop who lived at about the same time, AD 200.He was imprisoned because he secretly married couples, contrary to the laws of the Roman emperor. Some legends say he was burned at the stake.February 14 w

19、as also a Roman holiday, held in honor of a goddess. Young men randomly chose the name of a young girl to escort to the festivities. The custom of choosing a sweetheart on this date spread through Europe in the Middle Ages, and then to the early American colonies. Throughout the ages, people also be

20、lieved that birds picked their mates on February 14!In AD 496 Saint Pope Gelasius I named February 14 as Valentines Day. Although its not an official holiday, most Americans observe this day.The first Valentine card grew out of this practice. The first true Valentine card was sent in 1415 by Charles

21、, duke of Orleans, to his wife. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time.Cupid, another symbol of the holiday, became associated with it because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. He is represented by the image of a young boy with bow and arrow. Cupid often appear

22、s on Valentine cards.Whatever the odd mixture of origins, St. Valentines Day is now a day for sweethearts. It is the day that you show your friend or loved one that you care. You can send candy to someone you think is special. Or you can send roses, the flower of love.2月14日是情人節(jié)。如今它被人們作為情侶的節(jié)日來慶祝，相愛的人

23、之間互贈糖果、鮮花或其他禮物。關(guān)于情人節(jié)的來歷，有許多不同的傳說經(jīng)歷了漫長的歲月，一直流傳至今。在羅馬，據(jù)說它源自于5世紀(jì)，是為了紀(jì)念天主教的主教圣瓦倫丁。在情人節(jié)確立前800年，羅馬人就已經(jīng)有了一項(xiàng)在2月中旬舉行的異教徒慶典活動，年輕人通過慶典來紀(jì)念盧帕克斯神。這項(xiàng)慶典的特點(diǎn)是進(jìn)行抽簽，讓年輕的男子從盒子里抽取十幾歲少女的名字。通過這種方式分配給每一位年輕男子的女孩就成了他那一年的女伴。為了廢除這個異教的節(jié)日，羅馬教皇蓋拉西厄斯命令抽簽活動必須稍作改動：盒子里面裝的不再是年輕女孩的名字，而是圣徒的名字。男人和女人都可以從盒子里抽簽，游戲的目的是讓他們在本年度里仿效他們所抽到的圣徒的行為方式。不用說，很多羅馬的年輕人并不喜歡這種規(guī)則的改變。教會決定尋找一位更適合的愛的守護(hù)神來代替異教的盧帕克斯神。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)瓦倫丁是是一個非常恰當(dāng)?shù)娜诉x，他于公元270年被克勞迪亞斯王斬首?？藙诘蟻喫雇鯃?jiān)信已婚男人是無用的戰(zhàn)士，因此在他的王國內(nèi)禁止結(jié)婚。但是瓦倫丁卻秘密地幫助那些來找他的年輕人主持婚禮。當(dāng)克勞迪亞斯王發(fā)