用英語說中國文化:臘八習俗

　　編者按：臘八節(jié)有許多習俗，臘八節(jié)是中國的一種傳統(tǒng)文化，在英語中是怎么寫這個節(jié)日的呢?一起來看一看臘八習俗的英語介紹吧。

　　The Laba (simplified Chinese: 臘八; traditional Chinese: 臘八; literally: "Eighth of La") is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the La Month (or Layue 臘月), the twelfth month of theChinese calendar. It is customary on this day to eat Laba Congee. The Laba Festival had not been on a fixed day until the Southern and Northern dynasties, when it was influenced by Buddhism and got a fixed time on the eighth day of twelfth month, which was also the enlightenment day of the Buddha. Therefore, many customs of the Laba Festival are related to Buddhism. It corresponds directly to the Japanese Rohatsu and the South Asian Bodhi Day.

　　Traditions and Customs

　　Main traditions for Laba Festival are eating Laba porridge and making Laba garlic.

　　Laba Rice Porridge:

　　Mainly popular in Northeast China, Northwest China and Jiangnan (lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River), Laba porridge is the essential food for the festival. Since the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD), it has had the custom of eating Laba porridge on the Laba Festival. During the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD), emperors usually offered Laba porridges to their officials and the common people made it for sacrificing to their ancestors. Buddhist temples offered Laba rice porridges to the poor to show their faith to the Buddha. It was also used to present relatives and friends.

　　Laba porridge usually contains glutinous rice, wheat, corn, dried dates, lotus seeds, peanuts, loongan meat, red beans, peas, millet, raisins and some other ingredients. It was mostly made with eight ingredients and boiled as the way to boil the common porridge. By adding some sugar or salt, it will be tastier. As the beans is hard to boil, it's better to soak them for hours before boiling. After the porridge is done, it is customarily offered to the gods and ancestors as the sacrifice first. Next can be send to relatives and friends. But it should be sent before noon. Finally, family enjoys it together. To left some porridge is good, as it means there will be leftovers each year.

　　Making Laba garlic:

　　Making Laba garlic on the Laba Festival is a custom in northern China. It is very easy to make. The ingredients are garlic and vinegar. After peeling the garlic and putting it in a jar and filling it with vinegar (sugar can also be added), the rest time is to wait. Almost twenty days later, the garlic will become green. People usually eat it together with the dumplings on the Spring Festival Eve.

　　Traditionally, the consumption of Laba congee was an important element of the festival. In Northeast China, Northwest China and Jiangnan, this custom has been preserved, but it has become rarer in South China. On the first day of spring the government would hold a ceremony called “Beating Spring Ox” with the purpose of encouraging farming. Officials would use a colorful club to beat an earthen ox after worshiping the God of Grain; this was the so-called “Scourging Spring”. Even today, people in some places name Spring Begins as Beating Spring. After the ritual of “Beating Spring”, people would compete in grabbing the scattered pieces of the earthen ox, which would dispel pests or ants, and bring them good harvest in farming and abundant production of silk and livestock.

　　臘八蒜

　　LABA GARLIC

　　In North China there is a custom of pickling garlic in vinegar on Laba Day. After some pickling, the garlic will turn green. This pickled garlic goes very well with dumplings. In Chinese, the words “garlic” and “calculate” have the same pronunciation; therefore, eating garlic on Laba Day is symbolic of reckoning the year’s income and expenses as year-end approaches.

　　在中國的北方有一個習俗，在臘八節(jié)的時候把蒜泡到醋中，經(jīng)過醋的浸泡后，蒜會變的通體碧綠。經(jīng)過醋泡過的蒜和餃子一起吃更配哦~在中國“蒜”與“算”同音，隨著年底的臨近，在臘八節(jié)那天吃蒜是計算整年收支的象征。

　　臘八面

　　LABA NOODLES

　　Because northerners like foods made from wheat flour, they eat Laba noodles on Laba Day.

　　因為北方人喜歡吃小麥面粉做的食物，所以在臘八節(jié)那天他們吃臘八面。

　　煮五豆

　　BOILING FIVE KINDS OF BEANS

　　In some areas, people boil five kinds of beans and make a dough in the shape of sparrow’s head on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month. They believe if they eat “sparrow heads”, the sparrows will have headaches and not harm their crops in the coming year.

　　有一些地區(qū)，人們在農歷十二月初八那天煮五種豆子，并將面團揉成一個麻雀的頭的形狀。人們相信如果吃“麻雀頭”，麻雀就會頭疼，來年它們就不會傷害農作物。

　　吃冰

　　EATING ICE

　　Northerners have a custom of leaving a basin of water outside the house to be frozen; they break this ice into pieces and eat it on Laba Day. The ice on this day is said to possess supernatural power, capable of keeping those who eat it free from stomachache for a whole year.

　　北方人有一個習俗，他們在房子外面放一盆水等水凍成冰，在臘八節(jié)那天把冰搗碎并把它吃掉。據(jù)說，這天的冰擁有超自然的力量，它能讓吃了的人一整年都不會肚子疼。

　　公眾號：英語學習

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