[Ask Rudi]-怎么跟老外侃我们的“春节”

　　New York 纽约

　　New York's Chinatown is the largest in the U.S.A. and attracts thousands of tourists everyday, with the Chinese New Year celebrations being the highlight of the district. The celebrations include a parade that passes two of Chinatown's most important landmarks: the statue of Lin Zexu and the Kim Lau Memorial, a memorial to Chinese-Americans who gave their lives in the Second World War.

　　纽约的唐人街是全美最大的，每天吸引着数千观光客，而中国新年的庆典活动则是整个街区的亮点。庆典活动包括一次游行，游行队伍会经过唐人街两处最重要的地标建筑：林则徐像和一个为纪念在第二次世界大战中献身的华裔美国人而建的“刘金纪念馆”（音译）。

　　It is sometimes claimed that the Chinese community in New York have been the more successful at preserving the rituals of celebrating the Chinese New Year than any other group of overseas Chinese. Dances of dragons, unicorns, and lions ensure good luck for the coming year. Of all the mythological beasts, lions are the most common, although they are sometimes mistaken as dragons.

　　不时会出现一种说法，即在保持中国新年节庆习俗上，纽约的华人社区比其它海外华人团体做得更成功。舞龙、舞麒麟和舞狮确保了来年的好运。在所有的神兽当中，狮子是最为常见的，虽然它有时会被误认为是龙。

　　More than a dozen independent lion dance processions ①wind their way through the crowded streets. They visit shopkeepers who welcome them with 'lucky red envelopes'. At New Years', the shopkeepers can buy good luck for the upcoming year. They get what they pay for. More money, more luck. The more they pay the lion dancers, the better the performance. Up until the late 1990's firecrackers were permitted. The firecrackers not only functioned to scare away any lingering inauspicious spirits, they also extended the length of the lucky dances, because the lions had to perform until the last explosion.

　　十来支独立的舞狮队在拥挤的街道上蜿蜒前行。他们会去拜访店主，而后者则会用“好运红包”来欢迎他们。在新年之际，店主可以为来年买来好运。他们只要付钱就能得到。付钱越多，好运越多。他们付给舞狮者的钱越多，其表演也就越好。在20世纪90年代以前，是可以放鞭炮的。鞭炮的作用不只是驱除游荡的恶鬼，还可以延长吉庆舞的时间，因为舞狮要一直跳到最后一声炮响方可结束。

　　London 伦敦

　　London's Chinatown is one of the city's major tourist attractions. The area consists of three Chinese-style arches, a stone lion and a pagoda. The Chinese New Year's celebrations are extremely colourful and receive support from the Chinese business community as well as the City itself. In recent years the celebrations have extended to Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square.

　　伦敦的唐人街是该市主要旅游景点之一。这个地区包括三座中式牌楼、一只石狮和一座宝塔。中国新年的庆典活动极为丰富，而且受到了华人商会以及市府的支持。近年来，庆典活动已经扩展到了特拉法加广场和莱斯特广场。

　　Last year the Mayor of London had the honour of dotting the eyes of the dragon – symbolizing the waking of the mystical beast to mark the New Year. Following this several performances entertained and amazed the 40,000 Londoners who had gathered in the square for the occasion. These included lion and dragon dances, national minority dances, traditional music performances, acrobatics, Sichuan 'Changing Face' opera and martial arts demonstrations. The celebrations were ②topped off with a breathtaking firework display.

　　去年，伦敦市长有幸为舞龙点睛——象征神兽的苏醒，标志着新年的到来。在此之后，各种表演使得4万名为了此刻而在这个广场聚集的伦敦人又惊又喜。这些表演包括舞狮和舞龙、少数民族舞蹈、传统音乐表演、杂技、川剧变脸和武术表演。庆典活动在叹为观止的焰火表演中落幕。

　　If you ever get the chance to practice your English with people from different countries it will be useful to be able to describe aspects of Chinese culture, such as the Spring Festival, to them. This is not easy as many of the terms used in connection with Chinese festivals are difficult to translate. The following is a quick guide to get you started.

　　如果你有机会与不同国家的人练习英语的话，那种可以向他们细述春节之类的中国文化的能力颇有用处。这并不容易，因为很多与中国节庆相关的用词是很难翻译的。以下就是让你迅速入门的指南。