關(guān)于新年的雙語(yǔ)閱讀：看世界各國(guó)如何過(guò)新年
2012新年即將到來(lái)，今天我們來(lái)看看日本人是怎么慶祝新年的，他們都有哪些傳統(tǒng)新年習(xí)俗。
New Year is definitely one of the most important occasions in Japanese calendar. All Japanese families celebrate this occasion with elan and vigor. It is celebrated on January 1， but before 1873， it was observed according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Even though the date of the celebration has changed， the occasion is celebrated with proper Japanese New Year traditions. This event is so important for the Japanese that all the offices， institutions， factories， and shops remain closed for the entire day.
Popular Japanese New Year Traditions
日本過(guò)新年的傳統(tǒng)習(xí)俗
Otoshidama 壓歲錢
Otoshidama is an old New Year tradition of Japan， in which they give money to the kids. In this custom， you have to handle a decorated envelop to the children. The amount of the money， which the Japanese offer to the children， depends upon the age of the children.
Mochi 糯米團(tuán)
Mochi is a tradition， when people make rice cakes on Japanese New Year. The main purpose of making Mochi is decorative. Mochi is made in kagami mochi. Daidai， a bitter orange is placed at the top of the decoration. Mochi is made before New Year and is eaten when the celebrations of New Year begins.
Japanese New Year Customs 其他新年習(xí)俗
There are a number of Japanese New Year customs， among them， some important ones are mentioned below：
In order to keep away the evil spirits， the Japanese hangs a straw rope in front of the entrance of their home. This brings good fortune.At the juncture of New Year， they start laughing and they think that this would keep away the evil spirits. The Japanese go to the temple and ring the temples bells 108 times. They think that ringing the bell 108 times will keep away all the evil forces.Those， who believe in the Shinto religion， decorate their houses with green plants and bamboo. Green plants signify new life and bamboo signifies honesty. Japanese makes lobsters with paper and decorate their house with them. They think that they back side of the lobsters resembles an aged person， which symbolizes an earnest desire for endurance.
Japanese New Year celebrations start from January 1 and it lasts for two weeks. It is celebrated in two festivals： The Greater festival and the Lesser festival. In the Greater Festival， Japanese people offer prayers for their dead family and friends. In the Lesser festival， they offer prayers for having good crops. Following the prayer， the bird-scaring ritual begins.
Apart from all these New Year traditions of Japan， they also play games on the New Year eve. In fact， in some communities， it is mandatory to plat Japanese New Year games. Some traditional games are takoage， fukuwarai， sugoroku， karuta ， koma， hanetsuki etc. There is also a custom of arranging entertainment shows during the New Year celebrations.
Japanese people arrange a lavish dinner for the New Year eve. The traditional Japanese New Year dinner consists of boiled seaweed， mashed sweet potato with chestnut， fish cakes， sweetened black soybeans， and simmered burdock root.
2012新年即將到來(lái)，今天我們來(lái)看看在佛教徒是怎么慶祝新年的，他們都有哪些傳統(tǒng)新年習(xí)俗。
The religion of Buddhism is eminently and largely followed by a major part of the population of many countries. In some countries， Buddhism is considered as the prominent existing religion. These different countries holding values and principles of Buddhism celebrate New Year on different days of a year. Basically， dates of New Year are drawn on the basis of luni-solar Buddhist calendar， which varies from one country to another.
Buddhist following countries of Sri Lanka， Cambodia， Burma， Thailand， and Lao has extended three days New Year celebrations. They celebrate it on the day of the first full moon of the April month of Georgian calendar. Alternatively， all Mahayan countries have their New Year celebration slotted for the day of the first full moon of the January month of the Georgian calendar. Natives of China， Vietnam， and Korea celebrate it either in the month of January or in the early part of the February month， and those belonging to the Tibet region celebrate it in the month of March.
New Year Celebrations in Buddhist
佛教徒如何慶祝新年
Apart from their respective geographical culture， lots of Buddhist customs and traditions are also notably displayed and followed in the New Year celebrations of these countries. Also， one common aspect as reflected in these celebrations is the cheerfulness， splendor， and joy with which they are celebrated. Apart from the social celebrations， private celebrations also reflect a lot of pomp and zeal. Lots of preparations and lots of efforts over a period are communally engaged to ensure splendid and enthralling New Year celebrations. While some countries have a one day New Year celebration， others have more than a day dedicated to it. Each of the days as celebrated as a part of New Year， holds a certain cultural significance and name of its own.
Traditional New Year Celebrations in Buddhist
佛教的傳統(tǒng)新年慶?；顒?dòng)
Any New Year celebration， whether social or private， initiates after offering prayers and worship to Lord Buddha. According to Buddhist traditions， no celebrations or festivals are considered to be complete until and unless one lights up candles in the temples and monasteries， as doing so is considered to be a symbol of showing love and respect to the blessed souls and to the supreme power. Also， it is considered to bless petitioner with good luck and happiness for the coming time. The same goes for New Year celebrations as well. On New Year day， people in Buddhist countries make a visit to temples and monasteries， bath Buddha statues， offer prayers and worship to Lord Buddha， and call for getting conferred with happy and peaceful times ahead. All other mighty deities are also worshipped， and people sing songs to mark their homage and admiration to them. Most of these songs are directed towards glorifying the powers and abilities of Buddhist deities.
On the day of Buddhist New Year， people take a look on their past lives， and try to identify and rectify the mistakes. Other than that， people buy new clothes， clean up and decorate their households and surroundings， and visit all close friends and families to mark their wishes and share gifts on New Year. Bursting firecrackers is another important part of traditional New Year celebrations. People gather on streets， or in neighborhoods， to light up firecrackers as soon as the clock at the midnight turns twelve. It is followed by New Yeas wishes with all those present around. There is also a customary part to celebrations， as a part of which special sweet dishes for the occasion are prepared to be served at Buddhist New Year Feast.
New Year in Buddhist： Thailand and Tibet
泰國(guó)和西藏的佛教徒如何慶祝新年
In Thailand， New Year is called as ‘Songkran’， which falls in and around the month of April of Georgian calendar. In Thailand， an extended three days celebration is made. People clean their houses; buy new clothes， visit temples， and make a visit to houses of near and dear ones to exchange gifts and wishes. There is a popular tradition of throwing water on one another， with a belief that doing so will purify one’s soul from all sins and evil energies. With the arrival of New Year at midnight， Thais wish each other with ‘Sawatdee pi Maï’ or Happy New Year.
In Tibet， it is referred as ‘Losar’ or ‘Tibetan New Year’， which falls in and around the month of March of Georgian calendar， as decided by the Tibetan calendar. Just like Thailand， Tibet also holds extended New Year celebrations of few days. Preparation for celebrations， and celebrations itself initiate a few days before the key day. Special dishes are prepared， and are offered to monks. Houses are decorated and illuminated with candles and fancy colorful lights. There is a tradition as a part of which traditional stage fights， dances， and firecrackers shows are conducted in different regions of Tibet as a part of New Year celebrations.
2012新年即將到來(lái)，今天我們來(lái)看看在新加坡是怎么慶祝新年的，他們都有哪些傳統(tǒng)新年習(xí)俗。
The exquisite Singapore celebrates New Year with lot of grandeur， splendor， and enthusiasm. All the major celebrations as made in and around the time of New Year are in accordance to the Chinese traditions and customs. On the basis of the traditional lunar calendar， an extended fifteen days of revels go on to celebrate the time of New Year. New Year is considered as amongst the major festivals of the nation， and thus， people in Singapore do more than enough to reflect the same in their celebrations.
New Year Celebrations in Singapore
在新加坡慶祝新年
The entire skyline of Singapore as well as streets of Singapore are illuminated with colorful lights in such a wonderful way that it seems that it have been taken directly out of an artist’s creative mind. Also， roads are lighted up with fancy blistering lights. All small and big markets and malls are also decorated， usually with flowers and cottons， to reflect the essence of New Year festival and to draw more and more people during the time. Shopkeepers put attractive gift items on display， including toys， flowers， clothes， firecrackers， etc. it is necessarily required to have a plum tree among the range of gifts， as a plum tree is considered as a perfect gift to be given to anyone on the occasion of New Year.
Several parties are organized all over the Singapore， giving adequate options to everyone to choose according to one’s preference. The major parties are hosted by The Jewel Box on Mount Faber， Mardi gras at Clark Quay， and Havana Bill at Indo Chine Waterfront.
The Siloso Splash party and Cirque Aquatique Ball are other great party options， much because of the great music and fine food they serve. This party begins on New Year’s Eve and goes ion till the early hours of the New Year.
One partying at The Sky Symphony countdown can witness an amazing light show at midnight.
Then， there is a Three Marina Bay which is organized with a theme of ‘A Wish for a Better Tomorrow’。 Acting on its theme， this event saw people writing down their wishes for the New Year on a piece of paper， which is then wavered over the bell charms. It also have an amazing fireworks display at midnight.
Various other events which saw thousands and more in numbers include Chun Jei festivities， and Chingay Parade of Dreams， other than the countdown parties organized at various places in Singapore. New Year is also a good time to make a visit to Chinatown， the shopping hub for the Chinese in Singapore. It has around 500 stalls are set up to offer various kinds of products including traditional food dishes， beautiful and vibrant flowers， various sweet meats， and the traditional Chinese New Year ornaments.
Traditional New Year Celebrations in Singapore
新加坡傳統(tǒng)新年活動(dòng)
There is a tradition of organizing feasts during the time of New Year， in which all friends and members of the family are invited to be a part of the mutual celebration. There is another tradition which is referred as Chun Jei， for which preparations begin a month before the day of New Year. The tradition of Chun Jei calls everyone to develop positive hopes for the future， and abandoning all negativities， troubles， miseries， and failures of the past in the past itself. Significant amount of importance is given to a belief that one should look forward to give a new and positive start with the initiation of New Year， and that will lead to wealth， prosperity， peace， and healthiness in the coming time.
2012新年即將到來(lái)，今天我們來(lái)看看日本人是怎么慶祝新年的，他們都有哪些傳統(tǒng)新年習(xí)俗。
New Year is definitely one of the most important occasions in Japanese calendar. All Japanese families celebrate this occasion with elan and vigor. It is celebrated on January 1， but before 1873， it was observed according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Even though the date of the celebration has changed， the occasion is celebrated with proper Japanese New Year traditions. This event is so important for the Japanese that all the offices， institutions， factories， and shops remain closed for the entire day.
Popular Japanese New Year Traditions
日本過(guò)新年的傳統(tǒng)習(xí)俗
Otoshidama 壓歲錢
Otoshidama is an old New Year tradition of Japan， in which they give money to the kids. In this custom， you have to handle a decorated envelop to the children. The amount of the money， which the Japanese offer to the children， depends upon the age of the children.
Mochi 糯米團(tuán)
Mochi is a tradition， when people make rice cakes on Japanese New Year. The main purpose of making Mochi is decorative. Mochi is made in kagami mochi. Daidai， a bitter orange is placed at the top of the decoration. Mochi is made before New Year and is eaten when the celebrations of New Year begins.
Japanese New Year Customs 其他新年習(xí)俗
There are a number of Japanese New Year customs， among them， some important ones are mentioned below：
In order to keep away the evil spirits， the Japanese hangs a straw rope in front of the entrance of their home. This brings good fortune.At the juncture of New Year， they start laughing and they think that this would keep away the evil spirits. The Japanese go to the temple and ring the temples bells 108 times. They think that ringing the bell 108 times will keep away all the evil forces.Those， who believe in the Shinto religion， decorate their houses with green plants and bamboo. Green plants signify new life and bamboo signifies honesty. Japanese makes lobsters with paper and decorate their house with them. They think that they back side of the lobsters resembles an aged person， which symbolizes an earnest desire for endurance.
Japanese New Year celebrations start from January 1 and it lasts for two weeks. It is celebrated in two festivals： The Greater festival and the Lesser festival. In the Greater Festival， Japanese people offer prayers for their dead family and friends. In the Lesser festival， they offer prayers for having good crops. Following the prayer， the bird-scaring ritual begins.
Apart from all these New Year traditions of Japan， they also play games on the New Year eve. In fact， in some communities， it is mandatory to plat Japanese New Year games. Some traditional games are takoage， fukuwarai， sugoroku， karuta ， koma， hanetsuki etc. There is also a custom of arranging entertainment shows during the New Year celebrations.
Japanese people arrange a lavish dinner for the New Year eve. The traditional Japanese New Year dinner consists of boiled seaweed， mashed sweet potato with chestnut， fish cakes， sweetened black soybeans， and simmered burdock root.
2012新年即將到來(lái)，今天我們來(lái)看看在佛教徒是怎么慶祝新年的，他們都有哪些傳統(tǒng)新年習(xí)俗。
The religion of Buddhism is eminently and largely followed by a major part of the population of many countries. In some countries， Buddhism is considered as the prominent existing religion. These different countries holding values and principles of Buddhism celebrate New Year on different days of a year. Basically， dates of New Year are drawn on the basis of luni-solar Buddhist calendar， which varies from one country to another.
Buddhist following countries of Sri Lanka， Cambodia， Burma， Thailand， and Lao has extended three days New Year celebrations. They celebrate it on the day of the first full moon of the April month of Georgian calendar. Alternatively， all Mahayan countries have their New Year celebration slotted for the day of the first full moon of the January month of the Georgian calendar. Natives of China， Vietnam， and Korea celebrate it either in the month of January or in the early part of the February month， and those belonging to the Tibet region celebrate it in the month of March.
New Year Celebrations in Buddhist
佛教徒如何慶祝新年
Apart from their respective geographical culture， lots of Buddhist customs and traditions are also notably displayed and followed in the New Year celebrations of these countries. Also， one common aspect as reflected in these celebrations is the cheerfulness， splendor， and joy with which they are celebrated. Apart from the social celebrations， private celebrations also reflect a lot of pomp and zeal. Lots of preparations and lots of efforts over a period are communally engaged to ensure splendid and enthralling New Year celebrations. While some countries have a one day New Year celebration， others have more than a day dedicated to it. Each of the days as celebrated as a part of New Year， holds a certain cultural significance and name of its own.
Traditional New Year Celebrations in Buddhist
佛教的傳統(tǒng)新年慶?；顒?dòng)
Any New Year celebration， whether social or private， initiates after offering prayers and worship to Lord Buddha. According to Buddhist traditions， no celebrations or festivals are considered to be complete until and unless one lights up candles in the temples and monasteries， as doing so is considered to be a symbol of showing love and respect to the blessed souls and to the supreme power. Also， it is considered to bless petitioner with good luck and happiness for the coming time. The same goes for New Year celebrations as well. On New Year day， people in Buddhist countries make a visit to temples and monasteries， bath Buddha statues， offer prayers and worship to Lord Buddha， and call for getting conferred with happy and peaceful times ahead. All other mighty deities are also worshipped， and people sing songs to mark their homage and admiration to them. Most of these songs are directed towards glorifying the powers and abilities of Buddhist deities.
On the day of Buddhist New Year， people take a look on their past lives， and try to identify and rectify the mistakes. Other than that， people buy new clothes， clean up and decorate their households and surroundings， and visit all close friends and families to mark their wishes and share gifts on New Year. Bursting firecrackers is another important part of traditional New Year celebrations. People gather on streets， or in neighborhoods， to light up firecrackers as soon as the clock at the midnight turns twelve. It is followed by New Yeas wishes with all those present around. There is also a customary part to celebrations， as a part of which special sweet dishes for the occasion are prepared to be served at Buddhist New Year Feast.
New Year in Buddhist： Thailand and Tibet
泰國(guó)和西藏的佛教徒如何慶祝新年
In Thailand， New Year is called as ‘Songkran’， which falls in and around the month of April of Georgian calendar. In Thailand， an extended three days celebration is made. People clean their houses; buy new clothes， visit temples， and make a visit to houses of near and dear ones to exchange gifts and wishes. There is a popular tradition of throwing water on one another， with a belief that doing so will purify one’s soul from all sins and evil energies. With the arrival of New Year at midnight， Thais wish each other with ‘Sawatdee pi Maï’ or Happy New Year.
In Tibet， it is referred as ‘Losar’ or ‘Tibetan New Year’， which falls in and around the month of March of Georgian calendar， as decided by the Tibetan calendar. Just like Thailand， Tibet also holds extended New Year celebrations of few days. Preparation for celebrations， and celebrations itself initiate a few days before the key day. Special dishes are prepared， and are offered to monks. Houses are decorated and illuminated with candles and fancy colorful lights. There is a tradition as a part of which traditional stage fights， dances， and firecrackers shows are conducted in different regions of Tibet as a part of New Year celebrations.
2012新年即將到來(lái)，今天我們來(lái)看看在新加坡是怎么慶祝新年的，他們都有哪些傳統(tǒng)新年習(xí)俗。
The exquisite Singapore celebrates New Year with lot of grandeur， splendor， and enthusiasm. All the major celebrations as made in and around the time of New Year are in accordance to the Chinese traditions and customs. On the basis of the traditional lunar calendar， an extended fifteen days of revels go on to celebrate the time of New Year. New Year is considered as amongst the major festivals of the nation， and thus， people in Singapore do more than enough to reflect the same in their celebrations.
New Year Celebrations in Singapore
在新加坡慶祝新年
The entire skyline of Singapore as well as streets of Singapore are illuminated with colorful lights in such a wonderful way that it seems that it have been taken directly out of an artist’s creative mind. Also， roads are lighted up with fancy blistering lights. All small and big markets and malls are also decorated， usually with flowers and cottons， to reflect the essence of New Year festival and to draw more and more people during the time. Shopkeepers put attractive gift items on display， including toys， flowers， clothes， firecrackers， etc. it is necessarily required to have a plum tree among the range of gifts， as a plum tree is considered as a perfect gift to be given to anyone on the occasion of New Year.
Several parties are organized all over the Singapore， giving adequate options to everyone to choose according to one’s preference. The major parties are hosted by The Jewel Box on Mount Faber， Mardi gras at Clark Quay， and Havana Bill at Indo Chine Waterfront.
The Siloso Splash party and Cirque Aquatique Ball are other great party options， much because of the great music and fine food they serve. This party begins on New Year’s Eve and goes ion till the early hours of the New Year.
One partying at The Sky Symphony countdown can witness an amazing light show at midnight.
Then， there is a Three Marina Bay which is organized with a theme of ‘A Wish for a Better Tomorrow’。 Acting on its theme， this event saw people writing down their wishes for the New Year on a piece of paper， which is then wavered over the bell charms. It also have an amazing fireworks display at midnight.
Various other events which saw thousands and more in numbers include Chun Jei festivities， and Chingay Parade of Dreams， other than the countdown parties organized at various places in Singapore. New Year is also a good time to make a visit to Chinatown， the shopping hub for the Chinese in Singapore. It has around 500 stalls are set up to offer various kinds of products including traditional food dishes， beautiful and vibrant flowers， various sweet meats， and the traditional Chinese New Year ornaments.
Traditional New Year Celebrations in Singapore
新加坡傳統(tǒng)新年活動(dòng)
There is a tradition of organizing feasts during the time of New Year， in which all friends and members of the family are invited to be a part of the mutual celebration. There is another tradition which is referred as Chun Jei， for which preparations begin a month before the day of New Year. The tradition of Chun Jei calls everyone to develop positive hopes for the future， and abandoning all negativities， troubles， miseries， and failures of the past in the past itself. Significant amount of importance is given to a belief that one should look forward to give a new and positive start with the initiation of New Year， and that will lead to wealth， prosperity， peace， and healthiness in the coming time.