Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.
中国的新年开始于第一天的新月升起时,结束于满月15天之后。新年的第十五天被称为元宵节,那天晚上用灯笼展来庆祝,孩子们提着灯笼游行。
The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to 'catch up' with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years. This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.
中国阴历是基于月球和太阳运动的结合。太阳的周期是29.5天。 为了与阳历相符,中国每隔几年就会插入一个月。这和天闰年多了一天是一样的。这就是为什么,按照阳历,每年农历新年都是在不同的日期。
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.
庆祝除夕和元旦是家庭的事,是团聚和感恩的时候。传统的庆祝活动是以宗教仪式来强调天地,家里的神仙以及祖先。
The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.
祖先们的牺牲是所有的仪式中最重要的,把活着的与那些已经去世了的联合在一起。已经逝世的亲戚寄予尊重,因为他们为家庭的财富和荣耀打下了基础。
The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called 'surrounding the stove'. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations
纪念祖先们的存在是在除夕晚上为他们为他们安排一个家庭宴会。祖先们的精神与活着的人永远在一起,庆祝一个伟大的群体新的一年的开始。共同盛宴称为“围炉”。这象征着家庭过去和现在这一代的团结和荣誉。