人们在欢度春节的时候，也不会忘记已经亡故的亲人。他们会为亡亲敬一盅酒，或燃香祈求上天赐福给阴间的亲人。有的人家会结伴到亡亲的坟地去，在坟头供枣馍、油糕之类的东西。如今提倡火葬，人们则到存放亡亲骨灰的地方祭奠他们，同时给亡亲的长眠之地带去了节日的喜庆气氛。

【参考译文】When celebrating Spring Festivals, people never forget their dead dear ones. They’ll toast for their wealth, or burn incenses, praying that god might bless their dead in nether world. Some families will go to the tombs of their dead, and place jujube buns and fried cakes before the tombs as tributes. Nowadays cremation is encouraged, people will hold memorial ceremonies in places where ashes of their dead are kept, bringing joyful air of the festival to their eternal resting place.

我国的南方和北方都有“舞狮”贺春节的习俗，在形式及内容上大同小异。在乡下，村与村之间常举行舞狮比赛；在城市，社区与社区也接阵对垒。一只“狮子”通常由两人舞，一人舞狮头，另一人舞狮身。舞狮头者狮关键人物，必须眼明手快、反应敏捷，一般都是由幼童培养起来的。比赛时，两只狮子（通常代表两个团体）在一片锣鼓声中翩翩起舞。张开大口争夺一只巨型绣球。舞狮人身着戏装，上下翻腾，龙腾虎跃，好不雄健！好不威风！充分表现出了中华民族旺盛的生命力和不屈不挠的奋斗精神。舞狮头的人往往要亮出几个危险的高难度动作，如一跃跳到叠架起的桌椅上，赢得观众阵阵的掌声。

【参考译文】Lion Dancing is also a custom prevailing in the south and the north of the country. All those dancings are very much the same in forms and contents. Villages in rural areas compete with each other to be the best in Lion Dancing, and communities in the cities also fight for the honor. Two men form a “lion”, one acting as the “head”, and the other the “body”. The one as “head” is the key figure, who, trained in early childhood, is usually agile and fast. In competition, two lions, representing two sides, dance energetically in accompaniment of gongs and drums, struggling to snatch a huge silk ball with widely-opened mouths. The players in stage costumes jump and leap, bend and rise, displaying great vitality and vigor. The dancing fully shows the exuberant strength and the indomitable struggle spirit of Chinese nation. The “lion head” is supposed to present a few dangerous moves, such as jumping on piles of chairs and tables, just to win warm applause of the audience.

一些地区盛行“舞龙”的习俗，这和舞狮一样，也是庆贺新春的重要活动。舞龙需要若干人参与，一人舞龙头，其余人则是“龙身”。巨龙时而昂首阔步，时而张牙舞爪、摇头摆尾，赢得旁观人群的高声喝彩。人们的心随着巨龙翻腾的身体起伏，对舞龙人高超的技艺感到由衷地佩服。最为壮观的是夜间舞龙，巨龙的两只眼睛通常用手电筒充当，显得“目光炯炯”。一道道手电光刺破夜空，使人会联想到巨龙与怪兽搏斗的场景，不由热血沸腾，仿佛自己也加入到了与恶势力的酣战之中。

【参考译文】In some districts prevails the custom of Dragon Dancing, which, like Lion Dancing, is also one of the important activities to greet the coming spring. A few men form a “dragon’, one acting as the “head”, and the rest the “body”. The gigantic dragon strides proudly ahead, making threatening gestures, assuming an air of complacency, winning loud applauses of the audience from time to time. Spectators’ hearts will tremble as the huge dragon trembles, and they really admire the dragon players for their super skills. Dragon Dancing at night is a spectacular sight. The two eyes of the huge dragon, usually two electric torches in fact, are eyes with piercing gleam, shooting lights through the dark sky, reminding people of its fight with a monster. Spectators’ blood surges, as if they themselves joined the fight with evil forces.

正月十五的元宵节在有的地方被称为“小年”，虽说比不得初一和初二那几日气氛隆重，却也热闹非凡。许多店铺以及小商贩们把形形色色的灯笼挂出来展销，其外形有“哪吒闹海”“孙悟空”“猪八戒”和“沙僧”，也有“猪”“猫”“狗”“兔”等小动物。灯笼内置一蜡烛，在夜间闪闪烁烁，把“猪八戒”们、“狗”们照得通体发亮，煞是好看。在烛光的照耀下，有舞狮的、有舞龙的，有摇旱船和踩高跷的，组成了一幅幅美轮美奂的画面。无论白天还是黑夜，公园里都人山人海，游园的人们边品尝小路边摊点销售的各种小吃，边玩游戏，如抛圈和射击等。孩子们兴奋地在人群中窜来跑去，呼兄喊弟，还不时停下来用压岁钱买一些自己喜欢的小玩意儿。

【参考译文】The Lantern Festival in the 15th day of the new lunar year, known as Minor Spring Festival in some areas, is celebrated in boisterous atmosphere, though it is not as important as the first day or second day of the new lunar year. Shops and peddlers put out colorful lanterns on show, lanterns in forms of Na Zha’s Adventure in East Sea, Monkey King, Pigsy, Sha Wujing, pigs, cats, dogs, rabbits and other small animals. Candles are placed inside lanterns, twinkling at night, and the Pigsys and dogs all shine brightly, a beautiful scene to see. Lion Dancing, Dragon Dancing, Land Boat Rowing and Stilt Walking in the candlelight present splendid pictures. There is a sea of people in parks to celebrate, buying all kinds of delicious things for a taste at booths and stalls, playing games, like casting circles and shooting…Excited, children run to and fro in the crowds, shouting loudly, stopping to buy with their gift money baubles at times, which strike their fancy.

元宵节“闹灯”是从唐朝传下来的习俗。一入夜，人们纷纷手提灯笼走出家门，一盏盏灯汇集成了灯的海洋。古时候都是官府出资将街道装点得焕然一新，到处一片“火树银花”。唐睿宗时，长安的皇宫外庆贺元宵节，曾架起一座高二十丈的灯山，上面镶嵌着五颜六色的彩带以及各种小饰物，还悬挂了五万盏彩灯。百姓们结伴赏灯，观看放焰火和精彩的杂耍表演。到了宋代，民间还添了猜字谜的游戏。出字谜的人把谜语写在细长的纸条上，再将纸条贴在灯笼的下端，猜中的人可领导一些小礼品。明代的元宵节更热闹，戏曲演员们走上街头献艺，给人们带来艺术的享受和欢声笑语。

【参考译文】The custom of Lantern Festival Celebration comes from Tang Dynasty. At night, people step out of their houses with lanterns, and all the lanterns with their bright lights form magnificent sights. In ancient times, lanes and streets were decorated with official money, when fireworks and lanterns were everywhere to be seen. During Emperor Ruizong’s Reign in Tang Dynasty, there just outside the royal palace in Changan, the capital then, was built up a mountain of lanterns to celebrate the festival, nearly 70 meters high, decorated with colorful ribbons, trimmings and 50,000 lanterns. People would go in pairs or groups, to watch lantern shows, fireworks displays and acrobatic feats. In Song Dynasty, Crossword Guessing was added to the programs of celebration. Crossword puzzles written on scrolls were glued to the lower parts of lanterns, and the winners of the guessing work could get a few small gifts. The Lantern Festival became more lively in Ming Dynasty. Opera actors then would offer performances in streets, bringing people artistic entertainment and laughter.

元宵节的主食是“元宵”，或称“汤圆”，是一种糯米做成的带馅球状食物。南北方的元宵基本都差不多，有黑芝麻馅的、白糖馅的以及山楂馅的等；南方人还喜欢吃肉馅的元宵。现在的元宵种类丰富，里面裹的馅千变万化，适合于各种口味的食客。

【参考译文】During Lantern Festival, people mainly eat yuanxiao (or called sweet soup balls) which are glutinous rice balls with various kinds of stuffing, like black sesames, sugar, haws and so on. They are much the same both in the south and the north. The southerners also like rice balls stuffed with meat. Nowadays the balls vary with all different types of stuffing, to be suitable for various tastes.