高中英语教学：TraditionalChineseFestivals

TMib回ehihe型奥典弱

Boastingrichculturalmeaningandalonghistory,traditionalChinese

festivalscomposeanimportantandbrilliantpartofChineseculture.Most

traditionalfestivalstookshapeduringtheQinDynasty(221-206BC).In

themostprosperousTangDynasty(AD618-907),traditionalfestivals

liberatedthemselvesfromprimitivesacrifice,tabooandmysteryand

becamemoreentertaining.Fromthenon,festiveoccasionsturnedmore

briskandexcitingandmoreandmorefolkcustomsweredeveloped.

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SpringFestivalLanternFesthalQingmingFestival

DragonBoatFestivalDoubleSeventhMid-AutumnFestival

Festival

DoubleNinthFestivalWinterSolstice

Festival

1.TheSpringFestival

TheSpringFestivalisthemostimportantfestivalfortheChinese

peopleandiswhenallfamilymembersgottogether,justlike

ChristmasintheWest.Allpeoplelivingawayfromhomegoback,

becomingthebusiesttimefortransportationsystemsofabouthalfa

monthfromtheSpringFestival.Airports,railwaystationsandlong­

distancebusstationsarecrowdedwithhomereturnees.

TheSpringFestivalfallsonthe1stdayofthe1stlunarmonth,often

onemonthlaterthantheGregoriancalendar.ItoriginatedintheShang

Dynasty(c.1600BC-c.1100BC)fromthepeople*ssacrificetogodsand

ancestorsattheendofanoldyearandthebeginningofanewone.

Strictlyspeaking,theSpringFestivalstartseveryyearintheearly

daysofthe12thlunarmonthandwilllasttillthemid1stlunarmonth

ofthenextyear.Ofthem,themostimportantdaysareSpringFestival

Eveandthefirstthreedays.TheChinesegovernmentnowstipulates

peoplehavesevendaysofffortheChineseLunarNewYear.

ManycustomsaccompanytheSpringFestival.Somearestillfollowed

today,butothershaveweakened.

Onthe8thdayofthe12thlunarmonth,manyfamiliesmakelaba

porridge,adeliciouskindofporridgemadewithglutinousrice,

millet,seedsofJob'stears,jujubeberries,lotusseeds,beans,

longanandgingko.

The23rddayofthe12thlunarmonthiscalledPreliminaryEve.Atthis

time,peopleoffersacrificetothekitchengod.Nowhowever,most

familiesmakedeliciousfoodtoenjoythemselves.

AfterthePreliminaryEve,peoplebeginpreparingforthecomingNew

Year.Thisiscalled"SeeingtheNewYearin”.

Storeownersarebusythenaseverybodygoesouttopurchase

necessitiesfortheNewYear.Materialsnotonlyincludeedibleoil,

rice,flour,chicken,duck,fishandmeat,butalsofruit,candiesand

kindsofnuts.What'smore,variousdecorations,newclothesandshoes

forthechildrenaswellasgiftsfortheelderly,friendsand

relatives,areallonthelistofpurchasing.

BeforetheNewYearcomes,thepeoplecompletelycleantheindoorsand

outdoorsoftheirhomesaswellastheirclothes,bedclothesandall

theirutensils.

Thenpeoplebegindecoratingtheircleanroomsfeaturinganatmosphere

ofrejoicingandfestivity.Allthedoorpanelswillbepastedwith

SpringFestivalcouplets,highlightingChinesecalligraphywithblack

charactersonredpaper.Thecontentvariesfromhouseowners*wishes

forabrightfuturetogoodluckfortheNewYear.Also,picturesof

thegodofdoorsandwealthwillbepostedonfrontdoorstowardoff

evilspiritsandwelcomepeaceandabundance.

TheChinesecharacter"fd(meaningblessingorhappiness)isamust.

Thecharacterputonpapercanbepastednormallyorupsidedown,for

inChinesethe"reversedfuishomophonicwith“fucomes”,bothbeing

pronouncedas"fudaole."What'smore,twobigredlanternscanbe

raisedonbothsidesofthefrontdoor.Redpaper-cuttingscanbeseen

onwindowglassandbrightlycoloredNewYearpaintingswithauspicious

meaningsmaybeputonthewall.

PeopleattachgreatimportancetoSpringFestivalEve.Atthattime,

allfamilymemberseatdinnertogether.Themealismoreluxuriousthan

usual.Dishessuchaschicken,fishandbeancurdcannotbeexcluded,

forinChinese,theirpronunciations,respectively"力:"yifand

“doufu,“meanauspiciousness,abundanceandrichness.Afterthedinner,

thewholefamilywillsittogether,chattingandwatchingTV.Inrecent

years,theSpringFestivalpartybroadcastonChinaCentralTelevision

Station(CCTV)isessentialentertainmentfortheChinesebothathome

andabroad.Accordingtocustom,eachfamilywillstayuptoseethe

NewYearin.

WakinguponNewYear,everybodydressesup.Firsttheyextend

greetingstotheirparents.TheneachchildwillgetmoneyasaNew

Yeargift,wrappedupinredpaper.PeopleinnorthernChinawilleat

Jiaozitordumplings,forbreakfast,astheythink"jiaozfinsound

means"biddingfarewelltotheoldandusheringinthenew”.Also,the

shapeofthedumplingislikegoldingotfromancientChina.Sopeople

eatthemandwishformoneyandtreasure.

SouthernChineseeatniangao(NewYearcakemadeofglutinousrice

flour)onthisoccasion,becauseasahomophone,niangaomeans"higher

andhigher,oneyearafteranother."Thefirstfivedaysafterthe

SpringFestivalareagoodtimeforrelatives,friends,andclassmates

aswellascolleaguestoexchangegreetings,giftsandchatleisurely.

BurningfireworkswasoncethemosttypicalcustomontheSpring

Festival.Peoplethoughtthesplutteringsoundcouldhelpdriveaway

evilspirits.However,suchanactivitywascompletelyorpartially

forbiddeninbigcitiesoncethegovernmenttooksecurity,noiseand

pollutionfactorsintoconsideration.Asareplacement,somebuytapes

withfirecrackersoundstolistento,somebreaklittleballoonstoget

thesoundtoo,whileothersbuyfirecrackerhandicraftstohanginthe

livingroom.

Thelivelyatmospherenotonlyfillseveryhousehold,butpermeatesto

streetsandlanes.Aseriesofactivitiessuchasliondancing,dragon

lanterndancing,lanternfestivalsandtemplefairswillbeheldfor

days.TheSpringFestivalthencomestoanendwhentheLantern

Festivalisfinished.

Chinahas56ethnicgroups.MinoritiescelebratetheirSpringFestival

almostthesamedayastheHanpeople,andtheyhavedifferentcustoms.

2.LanternFestival

TheLanternFestivalfallsonthe15thdayofthe1stlunarmonth,

usuallyinFebruaryorMarchintheGregoriancalendar.Asearlyasthe

WesternHanDynasty(206BC-AD25),ithadbecomeafestivalwithgreat

significance.

Thisday'simportantactivityiswatchinglanterns.ThroughouttheHan

Dynasty(206BC-AD220),BuddhismflourishedinChina.Oneemperorheard

thatBuddhistmonkswouldwatchsarira,orremainsfromthecremationof

Buddha'sbody,andlightlanternstoworshipBuddhaonthe15thdayofthe

1stlunarmonth,soheorderedtolightlanternsintheimperialpalace

andtemplestoshowrespecttoBuddhaonthisday.Later,theBuddhist

ritedevelopedintoagrandfestivalamongcommonpeopleanditsinfluence

expandedfromtheCentralPlainstothewholeofChina.

Tilltoday,thelanternfestivalisstillheldeachyeararoundthe

country.Lanternsofvariousshapesandsizesarehunginthestreets,

attractingcountlessvisitors.Childrenwillholdself-madeorbought

lanternstostrollwithonthestreets,extremelyexcited.

“Guessinglanternriddles*isanessentialpartoftheFestival.Lantern

ownerswriteriddlesonapieceofpaperandpostthemonthelanterns.If

visitorshavesolutionstotheriddles,theycanpullthepaperoutandgo

tothelanternownerstochecktheiranswer.Iftheyareright,theywill

getalittlegift.Theactivityemergedduringpeople1senjoymentof

lanternsintheSongDynasty(960-1279).Asriddleguessingisinteresting

andfullofwisdom,ithasbecomepopularamongallsocialstrata.

Peoplewilleatyuanxiao,orricedumplings,onthisday,soitisalso

calledthe*YuanxiaoFestival.HYuanxiaoalsohasanothername,tangyuan.

Itissmalldumplingballsmadeofglutinousriceflourwithrosepetals,

sesame,beanpaste,jujubepaste,walnutmeat,driedfruit,sugarand

edibleoilasfilling.Tangyuancanbeboiled,friedorsteamed.Ittastes

sweetanddelicious.What'smore,tangyuaninChinesehasasimilar

pronunciationwithtuanyuanv,meaningreunion.Sopeopleeatthemto

denoteunion,harmonyandhappinessforthefamily.

InthedaytimeoftheFestival,performancessuchasadragonlantern

dance,aliondance,alandboatdance,ayanggedance,walkingonstilts

andbeatingdrumswhiledancingwillbestaged.Onthenight,exceptfor

magnificentlanterns,fireworksformabeautifulscene.Mostfamilies

sparesomefireworksfromtheSpringFestivalandletthemoffinthe

LanternFestival.Somelocalgovernmentswillevenorganizeafireworks

party.OnthenightwhenthefirstfullmoonenterstheNewYear,people

becomereallyintoxicatedbytheimposingfireworksandbrightmooninthe

sky.

3.QingmingFestival

TheQingming(PureBrightness)Festivalisoneofthe24seasonal

divisionpointsinChina,fallingonApril4-6eachyear.Afterthe

festival,thetemperaturewillriseupandrainfallincreases.Itisthe

hightimeforspringplowingandsowing.ButtheQingmingFestivalisnot

onlyaseasonalpointtoguidefarmwork,itismoreafestivalof

commemoration.

TheQingmingFestivalseesacombinationofsadnessandhappiness.

Thisisthemostimportantdayofsacrifice.BoththeHanandminority

ethnicgroupsatthistimeoffersacrificestotheirancestorsandsweep

thetombsofthedeceased,Also,theywillnotcookonthisdayandonly

coldfoodisserved.

TheHanshi(ColdFood)FestivalwasusuallyonedaybeforetheQingming

Festival.AsourancestorsoftenextendedthedaytotheQingming,they

werelatercombined.

OneachQingmingFestival,allcemeteriesarecrowdedwithpeoplewho

cametosweeptombsandoffersacrifices.Trafficonthewaytothe

cemeteriesbecomesextremelyjammed.Thecustomshavebeengreatly

simplifiedtoday.Afterslightlysweepingthetombs,peopleofferfood,

flowersandfavoritesofthedead,thenburnincenseandpapermoneyand

bowbeforethememorialtablet.

Incontrasttothesadnessofthetombsweepers,peoplealsoenjoyhopeof

Springonthisday.TheQingmingFestivalisatimewhenthesunshines

brightly,thetreesandgrassbecomegreenandnatureisagainlively.

Sinceancienttimes,peoplehavefollowedthecustomofSpringoutings.At

thistimetouristsareeverywhere.

PeoplelovetoflykitesduringtheQingmingFestival.Kiteflyingis

actuallynotlimitedtotheQingmingFestival.Itsuniquenessliesinthat

peopleflykitesnotduringtheday,butalsoatnight.Astringof

littlelanternstiedontothekiteorthethreadlooklikeshiningstars,

andtherefore,arecalled"god'slanterns.”

TheQingmingFestivalisalsoatimetoplanttrees,forthesurvivalrate

ofsaplingsishighandtreesgrowfastlater.Inthepast,theQingming

Festivalwascalled"ArborDay*.Butsince1979,*ArborDay"wassettled

asMarch12accordingtotheGregoriancalendar.

4.DragonBoatFestival

TheDragonBoatFestival,the5thdayofthe5th

lunarmonth,hashadahistoryofmorethan2,000

years.ItisusuallyinJuneintheGregorian

calendar.

Therearemanylegendsabouttheevolutionofthe

festival,themostpopularofwhichisin

commemorationofQuYuan(340-278BC).QuYuanwas

ministeroftheStateofChuandoneofChina,s

earliestpoets.Infaceofgreatpressurefromthe

powerfulQinState,headvocatedenrichingthe

countryandstrengtheningitsmilitaryforcessoas

tofightagainsttheQin.However,hewasopposedby

aristocratsheadedbyZiLan,andlaterdeposedand

exiledbyKingHuai.Inhisexileddays,hestill

caredmuchforhiscountryandpeopleandcomposed

immortalpoemsincludingLiSao{TheLament),Tian

Wen{HeavenlyQuestions)andJiuGe{NineSongs),

whichhadfar-reachinginfluences.In278BC,he

heardthenewsthatQintroopshadfinallyconquered

Chu,scapital,sohefinishedhislastpieceHuaiSha

{EmbracingSand)andplungedhimselfintotheMiluo

River,claspinghisarmstoalargestone.Theday

happenedtobethe5thofthe5thmonthinthe

Chineselunarcalendar.Afterhisdeath,thepeople

ofChucrowdedtothebankoftherivertopaytheir

respectstohim.Thefishermensailedtheirboatsup

anddowntherivertolookforhisbody.Peoplethrew

intothewaterzongzi(pyramid-shapedglutinousrice

dumplingswrappedinreedorbambooleaves)andeggs

todivertpossiblefishorshrimpfromattackinghis

body.Anolddoctorpouredajugofreaglarwine

(Chineseliquorseasonedwithrealgar)intothe

water,hopingtoturnallaquaticbeastsdrunk.

That'swhypeoplelaterfollowedthecustomssuchas

dragonboatracing,eatingzongzianddrinking

realgarwineonthatday.

Dragonboatracingisanindispensablepartofthe

festival,heldalloverthecountry.Asthegunis

fired,peoplewillseeracersindragon-shapedcanoes

pullingtheoarsharmoniouslyandhurriedly,

accompaniedbyrapiddrums,speedingtowardtheir

destination.Folktalessaythegameoriginatesfrom

theactivitiesofseekingQuYuan,sbody,but

experts,afterpainstakingandmeticulousresearch,

concludethatdragonboatracingisasemi-religious,

semi-entertainingprogramfromtheWarringStates

Period(475-221BC).Inthefollowingthousandsof

years,thegamespreadtoJapan,VietnamandBritain

aswellasChina,sTaiwanandHongKong.Nowdragon

boatracinghasdevelopedintoanaquaticsportsitem

whichfeaturesbothChinesetraditionandmodern

sportingspirit.In1980,itwaslistedintothe

statesportscompetitionprogramsandhassincebeen

heldeveryyear.Theawardiscalled"QuYuanCup.”

ZongziisanessentialfoodoftheDragonBoat

Festival.Itissaidthatpeopleatetheminthe

SpringandAutumnPeriod(770-476BC).Inearly

times,itwasonlyglutinousricedumplingswrapped

inreedorotherplantleavesandtiedwithcolored

thread,butnowthefillingsaremorediversified,

includingjujubeandbeanpaste,freshmeat,andham

andeggyolk.Iftimepermits,peoplewillsoak

glutinousrice,washreedleavesandwrapupzongzi

themselves.Otherwise,theywillgotoshopstobuy

whateverstufftheywant.Thecustomofeatingzongzi

isnowpopularinNorthandSouthKorea,Japanand

SoutheastAsiannations.

OnDragonBoatFestival,parentsalsoneedtodress

theirchildrenupwithaperfumepouch.Theyfirst

sewlittlebagswithcolorfulsilkcloth,thenfill

thebagswithperfumesorherbalmedicines,and

finallystringthemwithsilkthreads.Theperfume

pouchwillbehungaroundtheneckortiedtothe

frontofagarmentasanornament.Theyaresaidto

beabletowardoffevil.

5.DoubleSeventhFestival

TheDoubleSeventhFestival,onthe7thdayofthe7thlunar

month,isatraditionalfestivalfullofromance.Itoftengoes

intoAugustintheGregoriancalendar.

Thisfestivalisinmid-summerwhentheweatheriswarmandthe

grassandtreesrevealtheirluxuriousgreens.Atnightwhen

theskyisdottedwithstars,andpeoplecanseetheMilkyWay

spanningfromthenorthtothesouth.Oneachbankofitisa

brightstar,whichseeeachotherfromafar.TheyaretheCowherd

andWeaverMaid,andaboutthemthereisabeautifullovestory

passeddownfromgenerationtogeneration.

Long,longago,therewasanhonestandkind-heartedfellownamed

NiuLang(Cowhand).Hisparentsdiedwhenhewasachild.Later

hewasdrivenoutofhishomebyhissister-in-law.Sohelived

byhimselfherdingcattleandfarming.Oneday,afairyfrom

heavenZhiNu(WeaverMaid)fellinlovewithhimandcamedown

secretlytoearthandmarriedhim.Thecowhandfarmedinthe

fieldandtheWeaverMaidwoveathome.Theylivedahappylife

andgavebirthtoaboyandagirl.Unfortunately,theGodof

HeavensoonfoundoutthefactandorderedtheQueenMotherof

theWesternHeavenstobringtheWeaverMaidback.

Withthehelpofcelestialcattle,theCowhandflewtoheaven

withhissonanddaughter.Atthetimewhenhewasaboutto

catchupwithhiswife,theQueenMothertookoffoneofhergold

hairpinsandmadeastroke.Onebillowyriverappearedinfront

oftheCowhand.TheCowhandandWeaverMaidwereseparatedonthe

twobanksforeverandcouldonlyfeeltheirtears.Theirloyalty

tolovetouchedmagpies,sotensofthousandsofmagpiescameto

buildabridgefortheCowhandandWeaverMaidtomeeteach

other.TheQueenMotherwaseventuallymovedandallowedthemto

meeteachyearonthe7thofthe7thlunarmonth.Hencetheir

meetingdatehasbeencalled"QiXi”(DoubleSeventh).

ScholarshaveshowntheDoubleSeventhFestivaloriginatedfrom

theHanDynasty(206BC-AD220).Historicaldocumentsfromthe

EasternJinDynasty(AD371-420)mentionthefestival,while

recordsfromtheTangDynasty(618-907)depictthegrandevening

banquetofEmperorTaizongandhisconcubines.BytheSong(960-

1279)andYuan(1279-1368)dynasties,specialarticlesforthe

"QiXi"wereseenbeingsoldonmarketsinthecapital.The

bustlingmarketsdemonstratedthesignificanceofthefestival.

Todaysometraditionalcustomsarestillobservedinruralareas

ofChina,buthavebeenweakenedordilutedinurbancities.

However,thelegendoftheCowhandandWeaverMaidhastakenroot

intheheartsofthepeople.Inrecentyears,inparticular,

urbanyouthshavecelebrateditasValentine'sDayinChina.Asa

result,ownersofflowershops,barsandstoresarefullofjoy

astheysellmorecommoditiesforlove.

6.Mid-AutumnFestival

TheMid-AutumnFestivalfallsonthe15thdayofthe8thlunar

month,usuallyinOctoberinGregoriancalendar.

Thefestivalhasalonghistory.InancientChina,emperors

followedtheriteofofferingsacrificestothesuninspring

andtothemooninautumn.HistoricalbooksoftheZhouDynasty

hadhadtheword"Mid-Autumn”.Lateraristocratsandliterary

figureshelpedexpandtheceremonytocommonpeople.Theyenjoyed

thefull,brightmoononthatday,worshippeditandexpressed

theirthoughtsandfeelingsunderit.BytheTangDynasty(618-

907),theMid-AutumnFestivalhadbeenfixed,whichbecameeven

granderintheSongDynasty(960-1279).IntheMing(1368-1644)

andQing(1644-1911)dynasties,itgrewtobeamajorfestivalof

China.

Folkloreabouttheoriginofthefestivalgolikethis:Inremote

antiquity,thereweretensunsrisinginthesky,whichscorched

allcropsanddrovepeopleintodirepoverty.AheronamedHouYi

wasmuchworriedaboutthis,heascendedtothetopoftheKunlun

Mountainand,directinghissuperhumanstrengthtofullextent,

drewhisextraordinarybowandshotdowntheninesuperfluous

sunsoneafteranother.Healsoorderedthelastsuntoriseand

setaccordingtotime.Forthisreason,hewasrespectedand

lovedbythepeopleandlotsofpeopleofidealsandintegrity

cametohimtolearnmartialartsfromhim.ApersonnamedPeng

Menglurkedinthem.

HouYihadabeautifulandkindheartedwifenamedChangE.One

dayonhiswaytotheKunlunMountaintocallonfriends,heran

upontheEmpressofHeavenWangmuwhowaspassingby.Empress

Wangmupresentedtohimaparcelofelixir,bytakingwhich,it

wassaid,onewouldascendimmediatelytoheavenandbecomea

celestialbeing.HouYi,however,hatedtopartwithhiswife.So

hegavetheelixirtoChangEtotreasureforthetimebeing.

ChangEhidtheparcelinatreasureboxatherdressingtable

when,unexpectedly,itwasseenbyPengMeng.

OnedaywhenHouYiledhisdisciplestogohunting,PengMeng,

swordinhand,rushedintotheinnerchamberandforcedChangE

tohandovertheelixir.AwarethatshewasunabletodefeatPeng

Meng,ChangEmadeapromptdecisionatthatcriticalmoment.She

turnedroundtoopenhertreasurebox,tookuptheelixirand

swalloweditinonegulp.Assoonassheswallowedtheelixirher

bodyfloatedofftheground,dashedoutofthewindowandflew

towardsheaven.PengMengescaped.

WhenHouYireturnedhomeatdark,heknewfromthemaidservants

whathadhappened.Overcomewithgrief,HouYilookedupintothe

nightskyandcalledoutthenameofhisbelovedwifewhen,to

hissurprise,hefoundthatthemoonwasespeciallyclearand

bightandonittherewasaswayingshadowthatwasexactlylike

hiswife.Hetriedhisbesttochaseafterthemoon.Butashe

ran,themoonretreated;ashewithdrew,themooncameback.He

couldnotgettothemoonatall.

Thinkingofhiswifedayandnight,HouYithenhadanincense

tablearrangedinthebackgardenthatChangEloved.Puttingon

thetablesweetmeatsandfreshfruitsChangEenjoyedmost,Hou

YiheldatadistanceamemorialceremonyforChangEwhowas

sentimentallyattachedtohiminthepalaceofthemoon.

WhenpeopleheardofthestorythatChangEhadturnedintoa

celestialbeing,theyarrangedtheincensetableinthemoonlight

oneafteranotherandprayedkindheartedChangEforgoodfortune

andpeace.Fromthenonthecustomofworshipingthemoonspread

amongthepeople.

Peopleindifferentplacesfollowvariouscustoms,butallshow

theirloveandlongingforabetterlife.Todaypeoplewillenjoy

thefullmoonandeatmooncakesonthatday.

Themoonlooksextremelyround,bigandbrightonthe15thdayof

eachlunarmonth.PeopleselectedtheAugust15tocelebrate

becauseitisaseasonwhencropsandfruitsareallripeand

weatherpleasant.OntheMid-AutumnFestival,allfamilymembers

orfriendsmootoutside,puttingfoodontablesandlookingupat

theskywhiletalkingaboutlife.Howspl