雅思口语素材：中国农历新年(上)

　　Have a happy Chinese New Year!

　　by Claire Powell

　　In the west, we celebrate New Year on the 31st December and 1st January. Resolutions are made I will go to the gym twice a week, I will help my wife with the housework - and probably forgotten! Does that sound like you? Well, there is another chance, as Chinese New Year is celebrated on January 22nd.

　　Why do the Chinese celebrate New Year at a different time? The traditional Chinese calendar, like many Asian calendars, follows the lunar cycle. So the New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and the celebrations end on the full moon fifteen days later. A month is a Moon and the cycle lasts about twenty nine or thirty days. In order to catch up with the solar calendar, the Chinese insert an extra month once every seven years out of a nineteen year cycle. This is the same as adding an extra day for a leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

　　The origins of the event are so ancient that they cannot be traced. However, the event is an exciting one, swathed in traditions and rituals.

　　Preparations begin a month before the date of the Chinese New Year. People buy presents and clothes, decorate their homes and cook traditional food. Homes are cleaned from top to bottom, as any traces of dirt from the previous year could bring bad luck. Doors and windows are repainted, usually in red to ward off evil spirits, and then decorated with sayings to bring happiness, wealth and longevity. Fortune cookies are also baked, containing similar hopeful messages.

　　Traditionally, each of the fifteen days has a special significance. The first day of the preparations welcomes the gods from the heavens and earth. Many people avoid eating meat on this day because they believe this will ensure a long and happy life.

　　On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors. They are also especially kind to dogs and feed them well, as this is believed to be the birthday of all dogs.

　　The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law. The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families or friends on the fifth day because it will bring bad luck.

　　Visiting families and friends is resumed between the sixth and the tenth days, and people also visit temples to pray for good fortune and health.

　　The seventh day is the day for farmers to present their produce. Farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate their work. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles and raw fish are eaten to promote long life and success.

　　People typically have a family reunion dinner on the eighth day and on the ninth day they make offerings to the Jade Emperor. Jade comes in many shades of green and is thought to bring good luck.