Chinese Spring Festival, also called LunarNew Year, has more than 4,000 years of history. Being one of the traditionalChinese festivals, it is the grandest and the most important festival forChinese people. It is also the time for the whole families to get together,which is similar with Christmas Day to the westerners. Originating during theShang Dynasty (about 17th - 11th century BC), Spring Festival, which celebratesfamily reunion, is full of rich and colorful activities, and hopes with theadvent of spring and flowers blossoming. People from different regions anddifferent ethnic groups celebrate it in their unique ways.
中国的春节，也被称为农历新年，迄今已有四千多年的历史。对于中国人来说，这是规模最大，最重要的传统节日。就如同西方的圣诞节一样，春节是一家团聚的日子。春节起源于商朝(公元前11-17世纪)，为了庆祝全家团圆和表达对春暖花开的期盼，节日期间会准备丰富多彩的活动。不同地区和不同少数民族人们会用自己独特的方式庆祝这一传统节日。
Festival Time
节日时长
It comes on the first day of Chinese lunarcalendar and lasts for almost half of a month. But in folk custom, thistraditional holiday lasts from the 23rd day of the twelfth month to the 15thday of the first month (Lantern Festival) in the lunar calendar. Among thesedays, the New Year’s Eve and the first day of the New Year is the peak time.The exact days are different in every year according to the lunar calendar.
春节从农历新年第一天开始，几乎要持续一整个月。但在民间传统中，这一节日从腊月23日就开始了，直到正月十五(元宵节)。在这些天里，除夕和春节第一天是最热闹的时候。根据农历，每年除夕和春节所在的公历日期都有所不同。
History
春节由来
It is said that the custom of SpringFestival started in when people offered sacrifice to ancestors in the lastmonth of Chinese lunar calendar. At that time, people prepared the sacrifice bydoing thorough cleaning, having bathes and so on. Later, people began toworship different deities as well on that day. It is the time that almost allthe farm works were done and people have free time. The sacrificing time changedaccording to the farming schedule and was not fixed until the Han Dynasty(202BC-220AD). The customs of worshipping deities and ancestors remains eventhough the ceremonies are not as grand as before. It is also the time thatspring is coming, so people held all kinds of ceremonies to welcome it.
据说，春节起初源于人们在农历腊月祭祀先祖，在那期间，人们为了祭祀会做大扫除，沐浴换衣等等。后来人们开始在那一天敬奉神明。春节期间正好各种农耕活动结束，人们有空余时间。最开始的祭祀日期由于农耕活动并不固定，直到汉朝(公元前202年-公元220年)才固定下来。祭祀神明和先祖的传统延续下来，但并不像以前那样浩大。春节也是春天的开始，所以人们会举办各种仪式迎接春天的到来。
Legends
春节传说
There are many legends about Spring Festivalin Chinese culture. In folk culture, it is also called “guonian” (meaning“passing a year”). It is said that the “nian” (year) was a strong monster whichwas fierce and cruel and ate one kind of animal including human being a day.Human beings were scared about it and had to hide on the evening when the“nian” came out. Later, people found that “nian” was very scared about the redcolor and fireworks. So after that, people use red color and fireworks orfirecrackers to drive away “nian”. As a result, the custom of using red colorand setting off fireworks remains.
中国文化中有很多关于春节的传说。在传统文化中，春节亦被称为“过年”。传说“年”是一种凶猛异常的怪物，每天都会吃一种动物(包括人)。人们非常惧怕他，当“年”夜间出来活动时，人们会找地方躲起来。后来，人们发现“年”非常害怕红色和爆竹，于是，人们用红色和鞭炮来驱赶“年”。久而久之，春节用大红色和放鞭炮的习俗就保留了下来。