關於中國四大傳統節日英文介紹
中國四大傳統節日：春節，中秋節，端午節，清明節
元宵節
The Lantern Festival (元宵節) is the last day of the Chinese New Year celebration. This day is for the last moment for setting off fireworks, the last excuse for eating a big feast and the last chance for family getting together before the “年”
celebrations are over. (Latern Festival is also a traditional time of celebration for foreigners who live in China).
The Lantern Festival, the 15th of the first month of the lunar calendar, is the first full moon of the year. Celebrations and traditions on this day date back to the Western Han Dynasty.
Traditions for this festival: as the name indicates, hanging and looking at
lanterns is the main tradition. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are displayed on trees, or along river banks.
Parents often take their children to Lantern Fairs and sometimes lucky kids even get a mini toy lantern.
Another tradition is guessing lantern riddles. These are riddles that are hung on lanterns for people to shoot down and solve. The riddles are usually short, wise, and sometimes humorous. The answer to a riddle can be a Chinese character, a famous person's name, a place name or a proverb. This tradition has become a
popular game with serious staying power even as social development changes other traditions.
Other than that, the most important thing to do today is to eat sweet
dumplings. In northern China, sweet dumplings made of glutinous rice flour are called “元宵” while in southern part they are called “湯圓”. Typical sweet
dumplings are filled with black sesame sauce, sweetened bean paste, or hawthorn. Making “元宵” today is like a game or an activity, so it's seldom done without a reason and a group of friends or family present to help out.
端午節
The Dragon Boat Festival, also called the Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar. For thousands of years, the festival has been marked by eating zong zi (glutinous rice（糯米）wrapped to form a pyramid using bamboo or reed leaves) and racing dragon boats.
The festival is best known for its dragon-boat races, especially in the southern provinces where there are many rivers and lakes. Thisregatta（賽舟會）commemorates the death of Qu Yuan , an honest minister who is said to have committed suicide by drowning himself in a river. Qu was a minister of the State of Chu situated in present-day Hunan and Hubei provinces, during theWarring States Period(475-221BC)（戰國時期）. He was upright, loyal and highly esteemed for his wise counsel that brought peace and prosperity to the state. However, when a dishonest and corrupt prince vilified Qu, he was disgraced and dismissed from office. Realizing that the country was now in the hands of evil and corrupt officials, Qu grabbed a large stone and leapt into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month. Nearby fishermen rushed over to try and save him but were unable to even recover his body. Thereafter, the state declined and was eventually conquered by the State of Qin. The people of Chu who mourned the death of Qu threw rice into the river to feed his ghost every year on the fifth day of the fifth month. But one year, the spirit of Qu appeared and told the mourners that a hugereptile（爬行動物）in the river had stolen the rice. The spirit then advised them to wrap the rice in silk and bind it with five different-colored threads before tossing it into the river.
During the Duanwu Festival, a glutinous rice pudding called zong zi is eaten to symbolize the rice offerings to Qu. Ingredients such as beans,lotus seeds（蓮子）,chestnuts（栗子）, pork fat and the golden yolk of a salted duck egg are often added to the glutinous rice. The pudding is then wrapped with bamboo leaves, bound with a kind of raffia and boiled in salt water for hours.
The dragon-boat races symbolize the many attempts to rescue and recover Qu's body. A typical dragon boat ranges from 50-100 feet in length, with a beam of about 5.5 feet, accommodating two paddlers seated side by side.
A wooden dragon head is attached at the bow, and a dragon tail at thestern（船尾）. A banner hoisted on a pole is also fastened at the stern and the hull is decorated with red, green and blue scales edged in gold. In the center of the boat is a canopied shrine behind which the drummers,gong（銅鑼）beaters andcymbal（鐃鈸）players are seated to set the pace for the paddlers. There are also men positioned at the bow to set off firecrackers, toss rice into the water and pretend to be looking for Qu. All of the noise and pageantry creates an atmosphere of gaiety and excitement for the participants and spectators alike. The races are held among different clans, villages and organizations, and the winners are awarded medals, banners, jugs of wine and festive meals.
清明節
Qing Ming is a time to remember the dead and the dearly departed. More important, it is a period to honour and to pay respect to one's deceased ancestors and family members. Because it reinforces the ethic of filial piety, Qing Ming is a major Chinese festival. Literally meaning "clear" (Qing) and "bright" (Ming), this Chinese festival falls in early spring, on the 106th day after the winter solstice. It is a "spring" festival, and it is an occasion for the whole family to leave the home and to sweep the graves of their forebears. Chinese being practical people this sweeping of the graves is given an extended period, that is, 10 days before and after Qing Ming day. Among some dialect groups a whole month is allocated. 清明節是一個紀念祖先的節日。主要的紀念儀式是掃墓，掃墓是慎終追遠、郭親睦鄰及行孝的具體表現；基於上述意義，清明節因此成為華人的重要節日。 清明節是在仲春和暮春之交，也就是冬至後的106天。掃墓活動通常是在清明節的前十天或後十天。有些地域的人士
的掃墓活動長達一個月。
ORIGIN
（起源）
Qing Ming is popularly associated with Jie Zi Zhui, who lived in Shanxi province in 600
B.C. Legend has it that Jie saved his starving lord's life by serving a piece of his own leg. When the lord succeeded in becoming the ruler of a small principality, he invited his faithful follower to join him. However, Jie declined his invitation, preferring to lead a hermit's life with his mother in the mountains. Believing that he could force Jie out by burning the mountain, the lord ordered his men to set the forest on fire. To his consternation, Jie chose to remain where he was and was burnt to death. To commemorate Jie, the lord ordered all fires in every home to be put out on the anniversary of Jie's death. Thus began the "cold food feast", a day when no food could be cooked since no fire could be lit. The "cold food" festival occurs on the eve of Qing Ming and is often considered as part of the Qing Ming festival. As time passes, the Qing Ming festival replaced the "cold food" festival. Whatever practice is observed，the basic observation of Qing Ming is to remember one's elders by making a special effort to visit their graves, ashes or ancestral tablets. To make the visit even more meaningful, some time should be spent to remind the younger members of the family of the lives and contributions of their ancestors, and the story of Jie Zi Zhui who choose death over capitulation. 談到清明節，有點歷史知識的人，都會聯想到歷史人物介子椎。據歷史記載，在兩千多年以前的春秋時代，晉國公子重耳逃亡在外，生活艱苦，跟隨他的介子椎不惜從自己的腿上割下一塊肉讓他充飢。後來，重耳回到晉國，作了國君（即晉文公，春秋五霸之一），大事封賞所有跟隨他流亡在外的隨從，惟獨介子椎拒絕接受封賞，他帶了母親隱居綿山。 晉文公無計可施，只好放火燒山，他想，介子椎孝順母親，一定會帶著老母出來。誰知這場大火卻把介子椎母子燒死了。為了紀念介子椎，晉文公下令每年的這一天，禁止生火，家家戶戶只能吃生冷的食物，這就是寒食節的來源。 寒食節是在清明節的前一天，古人常把寒食節的活動延續到清明，久而久之，清明取代了寒食節。拜介子椎的習俗也變成了清明掃墓的習俗了。無論以何種形式紀念，為了使紀念祖先的儀式更有意義，我們應該讓年輕一代的家庭成員瞭解先人過去的奮鬥歷史，當然，還要學習
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1、）清 明節掃風墓俗 介子椎寧死不屈的氣節。 清明時節祭掃祖墳（俗稱"上墳"）。無錫的傳統民俗較有代表性。掃墓時要挑些新士壅墳塋，而且凡新墳一定要在清明前祭掃，舊墳可以過清明．但不能過立夏。新媳婦一定要去祭掃祖墳，俗稱"上花墳"。掃墓時用葷、素菜餚和酒、飯等祭奠。後用乾果糕點等替代。 時至今
日，在烈士陵園緬懷革命先烈成為清明節裡很重要的內容，在祭炎黃二祖、悼念自己的先祖的同時，緬懷先烈的豐功偉績，使今天的清明活動具有了更重要的教育意義。
2） 踏青 清明時節，氣候溫暖和煦，大地皆春，處處鮮花嫩草，一片生機盎然，人們紛紛外出踏青。在無錫，踏青的最好場所莫過於惠山。不上惠山的，上城牆繞城而走，叫登高踏青。東門東林庵一帶，為士女聚集處，故有"東林庵裡看桃花"的說法。這天，也是東鄉膠山和北鄉斗山的節場，附近還有賽會，故斗山別名清明山。人們都上山踏青，趕節場，觀看賽會。從元宵節至清明節，大人孩子，三五成群，到野外放鳳箏，別有情趣。
3） 門旁插柳和戴柳枝帽 清明節那天，有家家門口插柳條的風俗。在一些地區，還流行小孩帶柳枝帽的風俗。 門旁插柳和戴柳枝帽習俗的來源也是根據介子椎的'傳說。據說，介子椎是死在柳樹下面的。介子椎死後的第二年晉文公率領群臣到綿山致祭，一行人先在山下寒食一日，第二天才上山。那棵柳樹，已經長出了翠綠的嫩條。晉文公看了，心中忽有所感，便走上前去，掐了一絲，編成一個圈兒帶在頭上。隨從的臣下看了,也紛紛仿效他折柳插頭。晉文公便把這棵柳樹賜名
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清明節即是節氣又是節日。從節氣上來說，它是24節氣之一。 我國2000多年前的秦漢時期已基本形成了24節氣。24節氣綜合了天文學和氣象學等方面的知識，編排了"春雨驚春清谷天，夏滿芒夏暑相連。秋處露秋寒霜降，冬雪雪冬小大寒"的歌謠。其中清明被排在歌謠的第五位。也是農曆曆法中的第五個節氣。 此時，天氣轉暖，大地回春，萬物復甦，一片生機盎然，家家門口插柳條，祭掃墳墓和郊外踏青。農諺中也有"清明忙種粟"的說法。作為以花信為標誌的花信風。清明的花期為一侯桐花，二侯麥花，三侯柳花，充分點明瞭清明節氣的花期和花種。《歲時百問》說"萬物生長此時，皆清潔而明淨，故謂之清明"。
中秋節
The Midautumn Festival is the traditional festival in China.In this day,people ,espically family members will have a happy get-together.So Chinese people vaule this festival for its important meaning of "reunion".And the mooncake is the symbolic food.It represents the "reunion" just like the full moon.
Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four major traditional festivals.中秋節是中國四大傳統節日之一。
There are evening meal, people who work outside the home have to come back happy. 、清明與節氣 為清明柳，把這一天定為清明節。