环球英语 — 485：Chinese New Year Today
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Hello and welcome to Spotlight. I’m Marina Santee.
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And I’m Mike Procter. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Families and friends gather together. Happily they wish each other good will for the year ahead. ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’ they say. It means ‘congratulations. You will be rich!’ Xin Nian Kuai Le - Happy New Year! They are celebrating the biggest event of their year - Chinese New Year.
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People have been celebrating Chinese New Year for centuries. Some people say celebrations go back as far as the Han Dynasty rule - over two thousand years ago. The celebrations are connected with the farming seasons. Spring is soon coming. The old harvest is finished. The new crops will soon grow.
The Chinese system of dates uses a ‘lunar’ calendar. That means it is based on the movements of the moon. But the international system of dates is based on the movements of the earth around the sun. So the exact date of Chinese New Year changes each year, but it always happens in January or February.
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Chinese people celebrate through all of the New Year season. But the most special time is the three days around New Year’s night. People spend a long time preparing for these days.
Cleaning is an important part of the preparations. People clean their houses from top to bottom. They do this because they expect friends to visit during the celebrations. But some people also believe that cleaning will sweep away bad luck.
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Celebrations are loud and bright at Chinese New Year. Red is a particularly important colour in Chinese tradition. An ancient story tells of a huge beast that would catch people at New Year so that it could eat them. The people found that the beast was afraid of the colour red, and light, and noise. That is why all these things are now part of New Year celebrations today. As the old year comes to an end, people hang encouraging messages on their doors and windows. They write words like, ‘happiness’, ‘long life’ and ‘riches’
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All the preparations lead up to the big event - New Year’s eve. On this night before New Year’s Day, all the family members gather together to enjoy a big meal. Many of them have travelled long distances to be together. All the food represents something to do with goodness at New Year. For example, they cook much of the food in oil. This turns it a golden colour. This represents money and wealth. Families prepare more food than they could possibly eat. This comes from a belief that having plenty of food at New Year will mean having plenty all the year through. Later, when the clock strikes twelve, the night sky lights up in beautiful colors. Red and gold fireworks explode in the air. People laugh and shout in happy celebrations, welcoming the New Year.
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The following morning is New Year's Day. This is probably the best time for the children! They awake early in the morning. Parents rise early too, even after their late night celebrations. The children greet the parents, and the parents give them gifts in bright red paper. Usually the gift is money. And all their unmarried children receive such gifts - even the older ones.
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Then, the family puts new clothes on. New clothes are a sign of a fresh start - but the traditional belief also links new clothes to having wealth in the year to come. The family will then either welcome visitors in their home, or they will visit other family members and friends. ‘Xin Nian Kuai Le’, they say, ‘Happy New Year!’ This is the time when they settle any disputes of the past year. It is a time when they forget the past, and unite for the future.
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The ancient traditions that surround New Year have been part of Chinese culture from thousands of years. But they can raise difficult questions for some Chinese people today. Many modern Chinese are followers of global religions - and the teachings of these religions often do not agree with the ancient Chinese teachings.
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Daniel Tong is ethnic Chinese. He is a Christian minister in Singapore. He has written a book to help Chinese Christians to be true to both their Chinese culture and their Christian beliefs. Reverend Tong says that the reunion dinner is a good tradition to keep, especially as most people have little time during the year to gather as one family. He tells Chinese Christians to enjoy the food and the new clothes at New Year, but not to believe that these things have any effect on their wealth. Instead, he encourages them to trust God for their daily needs all year. He also says that it is fine to clean the house before New Year, but not to believe that cleaning will chase away bad luck. And Chinese Christian children will be happy to hear that receiving the red gifts at New Year is one tradition that can stay!
Rev Tong wrote:
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“There is nothing wrong with Chinese Christians celebrating Chun Jie, as it is part of our culture and tradition. But we must choose between the parts of the festival that we accept and those that we do not”.
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As the New Year celebrations slow down, it is time to prepare for the final celebration - the lantern festival. This happens just two weeks after New Year’s Day.
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Bright lanterns light up the streets. The lights shine through little containers, hanging from people’s houses. Some of them have word games for visitors to try their skill. The streets are busy. People gather to watch the special dances and shows. Traditionally, boys and girls used to meet each other during the lantern festival. The lantern festival marks the end of the New Year celebrations. But it is not a sad time. The atmosphere is happy and hopeful. No one is sure how the lantern festival first started. But most people agree that it was something to do with celebrating and encouraging positive relationships. And this is something that the people celebrate today. They hope that they will know light and goodness in the year ahead. And they do all they can to start the year as they mean to go on - in peace and unity.
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The writers of this programme were Marina Santee and Mike Procter, and the producer was Marina Santee.. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. Daniel Tong’s words were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. This programme is called “Chinese New Year Today.”
