我很高兴有机会向各位介绍中国的主要传统节日，尤其是介绍中国最重要的传统节日——春节。
同世界其他地区一样，节日在中国是人们勤于烹调、饱享口福的时候。菜市场鱼肉满架，购物和烹调成了人们的主要活动。但是节庆膳食除了在数量和质量上与平日不同之外，一些历史悠久、具有象征意义的特色食物也是节日必不可缺的伴侣。
I'm very happy to have the opportunity to talk to you about major traditional Chinese holidays and in particular about the Spring Festival, the most important Chinese holiday.
Like in the rest of the world, holidays in China are a time to enjoy good cooking and eating, Grocery markets are well stocked with all kinds of fish and meat and shopping and cooking become major activities. But in addition to the quantitative and qualitative differences apparent in holiday meals, some special traditional foods with their symbolic significance are indispensable on these occasions.
例如农历5月5日的端午节，人们过端午节是为了纪念被昏君贬官放逐而抱石投江自尽的古代诗人和忠臣屈原。最初人们将以芦苇叶包扎好的糯米粽子投人屈原自尽的那条江，以祭祀亡灵。今天，人们在端午节时举行龙舟比赛，而粽子则由活生生的人来享用。
农历8月15日的中秋节是观赏满月的日子。圆圆的月亮象征着圆满，进而象征着家庭团聚。中秋节日的特制食品是一种圆形的月饼，内含核桃仁、蜜饯、豆沙或蛋黄等食物。
The Dragon Boat Festival on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month (around early June) is celebrated in memory of Qu Yuan, an ancient poet and loyal minister who drowned himself while in exile from a corrupt court. Zongzi, a kind of glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in reed leaves, were originally prepared as sacrificial offerings for Qu
Yuan's departed soul and dropped into the river where he drowned himself. Today, however, dragon boat races are held during the festival and the zongzi are consumed by the living.
The Mid-autumn Festival which occurs on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month (around mid-September) is an occasion for viewing the full moon. The round moon is a symbol for completeness, and by extension, family reunion. The specialty of the day is the yuebing (mooncake), a round pastry filled with nuts, candied preserved
fruits, bean paste, duck egg yolks, etc.
春节是中国最重要的传统节日，标志着农历新年的开始。春节的日期按农历而定，通常出现在公历2月份前半个月的某一天。过春节又叫做“过年”，意思是避开“年”这个怪物。相传“年”是古时候的一种凶猛的怪物。它的样子像强壮的公牛，长着狮子一样的头。这个怪物通常待在深山里。但每到冬末春初，它在山里找不到足够的食物就会闯入村庄找东西吃。村民们见之非常害怕，于是纷纷搬家，逃离这个怪物。后来人们发现，“年”非常害怕三样东西：红色、明亮火焰以及大声喧哗。人们为了阻止“年”进村，就把大门漆成红色，还点火烧竹子，发出噼噼啪啪的响声。从此以后，“年”再也不来村里了。一个传统就这样形成了。竹子燃烧时发出的这种响声被后来的鞭炮声所取代。这就是中国人燃放鞭炮欢庆春节的来历。
The Spring Festival, the most important traditional Chinese festival, marks the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New year. The Spring Festival is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, and generally occurs some time in the first half of February. The Spring Festival is also called Guo Nian in Chinese, meaning keeping off the monster of Nian. The legend has it that Nian was a fierce monster back in ancient times. It looked like a strong bull with a head like that of a lion. Usually the monster stayed deep in the mountains. But at the turn of each spring, the monster, unable to find enough food in the mountains, came out of its mountain lair and entered villages to eat whatever it could catch. Villagers were so scared that they moved away to escape the ferocious monster. Later people found that Nian was afraid of three things: red color, bright flame and loud noise. To prevent Nian from entering their villages, villagers painted their doors red, burned stalks of bamboo, which made cracking sounds. Ever since then, Nian never again came to the villages. Thus, a tradition was established. Later, the noise of the cracking bamboo was replaced by the bang of firecrackers. This is how the Chinese people began to set off firecrackers for the Spring Festival.
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