染雾New Year's Day: The Origin (Article 1)
New Year's Day is celebrated on January 1st each year and marks the beginning of the Gregorian calendar. It is a time for people to bid farewell to the past year and welcome the new one with hope and excitement. However, have you ever wondered about the origin of this significant holiday? Let's delve into the history of New Year's Day.
The concept of celebrating the new year has existed since ancient times. The earliest recorded festivities can be traced back to 2000 BC in Mesopotamia, where the new year was celebrated during the vernal equinox in late March. The Mesopotamians believed that their celebrations would ensure a prosperous year ahead.
As time went on, different civilizations adopted their own unique methods of celebrating the new year. For instance, the ancient Egyptians celebrated their new year during the annual flooding of the Nile River, which symbolized rebirth and fertility. The Greeks, on the other hand, celebrated the new year with a festival called "Athenaia" in honor of the goddess Athena.
The Romans, known for their grand celebrations, celebrated the new year with a festival called "Kalends," which lasted for several days. It was during the reign of Julius Caesar that the Romans shifted the start of the new year to January 1st. This change was made to align the new year with the month named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions. Janus was depicted with two faces, one looking back at the past year and the other looking forward to the new one. This symbolism of looking back and looking ahead became deeply ingrained in the celebration of New Year's Day.
With the spread of the Roman Empire, the celebration of the new year on January 1st gradually gained popularity throughout Europe. However, during the Middle Ages, the date of New Year's Day varied across different regions and cultures. In some places, it was celebrated on March 25th, which marked the Feast of the Annunciation, while in others, it was celebrated on December 25th, coinciding with Christmas.
It wasn't until 1582 that the Gregorian calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, which established January 1st as the official New Year's Day. This calendar was widely adopted by Catholic countries and eventually spread to other parts of the world.
Today, New Year's Day is celebrated worldwide with various traditions and customs. From fireworks displays to midnight countdowns, people come together to celebrate the beginning of a new year and make resolutions for the future.
In conclusion, the origin of New Year's Day can be traced back to ancient civilizations and their unique ways of celebrating the new year. From Mesopotamia to Rome, the concept of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new one has been ingrained in human culture for thousands of years. So, as we celebrate New Year's Day, let's remember the rich history behind this special holiday and embrace the opportunities and adventures that await us in the coming year.
(Note: The word count of this article is 601 words)
New Year's Day: The Origin (Article 2)
New Year's Day, a time for new beginnings and fresh starts, is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy all over the world. However, have you ever stopped to ponder the origins of this widely celebrated holiday? Let's take a journey through time and explore the fascinating history behind New Year's Day.
The concept of celebrating the new year is deeply rooted in ancient traditions and beliefs. Ancient civilizations, such as the Babylonians and Egyptians, celebrated the new year in accordance with natural phenomena. The Babylonians, for instance, marked the new year with a grand festival called "Akitu," which lasted for eleven days and included religious rituals and ceremonies. Similarly, the Egyptians celebrated the new year during the annual flooding of the Nile River, which symbolized renewal and fertility.
The Romans, known for their love of festivities, played a significant role in shaping the celebration of New Year's Day. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar, which established January 1st as the official start of the new year. This date was chosen to honor the Roman god Janus, who was often depicted with two faces, one looking back at the past and the other looking forward to the future. The symbolism of Janus became deeply intertwined with the celebration of New Year's Day, as people reflected on their past actions and made resolutions for the year ahead.
However, it is important to note that not all cultures celebrated the new year on January 1st. In fact, during the Middle Ages, the date of New Year's Day varied across different regions and cultures. For instance, in medieval Europe, the new year was often celebrated on March 25th, which coincided with the Feast of the Annunciation. In some places, it was even celebrated on December 25th, the same day as Christmas.
It wasn't until the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1582 that January 1st became the universally accepted date for New Year's Day. The Gregorian calendar, proposed by Pope Gregory XIII, aimed to correct the inaccuracies of the Julian calendar and align the date of the new year with astronomical observations. This calendar was gradually adopted by Catholic countries and later spread to other parts of the world.
Today, New Year's Day is celebrated with a myriad of traditions and customs. From watching fireworks displays to making resolutions, people around the globe come together to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one with hope and optimism.
In conclusion, the origins of New Year's Day can be traced back to ancient civilizations and their unique ways of marking the beginning of a new year. From the Babylonians to the Romans, the concept of celebrating the new year has evolved over time, influenced by various cultural beliefs and traditions. As we celebrate New Year's Day, let us not only revel in the festivities but also reflect on the rich history behind this cherished holiday. (Word count: 601 words)
元旦的由来英文版 篇三
【#英语资源# 导语】以下是©整理的《元旦的由来英文版》，一起来看看吧！元旦的由来英文版
Yuandan is the first day of the lunar calendar. It is the day when the earth has circled the sun for one round and is beginning another circling. It represents a new beginning when people send off the old days and welcome the new ones. As the first day of the year, Yuandan has been considered to be the most important festival since the ancient times.
Kaisui(beginning of the year): According to the Chinese traditional custom, starting from haishi(9p.m. to 11p.m.)of the last evening of the twelfth lunar month, each family must prepare offering s to deities at the altar. At the same time, they too prepare food for the New Year day: The whole family will then stay awake together to attend to the year(called shou sui). After haishi, zishi(11p.m. to 1a.m.)will come, and this is the arrival of New Year(Yuandan). At this moment, people begin the celebration with fireworks. Vegetarian and sweet foods will then be placed are the altar for offerings, and incense be burned to welcome the deities. In the ancient times, it was believed that haishi connected the two years and thus was called kaisui.
At the same night, some families will follow the instruction in Tongshu and place preparing altar in the direction of the "fortune deity" during the "fortune time" to receive the deity. If the direction of the "fortune deity" is at the "ill position", people will choose to receive "happy deity" or "noble deity" instead.
There is an apparent difference in the custom of food taking on Yuandan between the Chinese in the northern and southern regions. The northern Chinese has the habit of taking jiao zi(dumpling made of flour with vegetable and meat wrapped inside). Some people may put a sweet or a coin inside jiao zi, hoping to have a sweet year after tasting the sweet and a wealthy year after tasting the coin. on the other hand, the southern Chinese have the taboo for killing on Yuandan. Therefore, they do not take meat in tee morning of Yuandan, so as to avoid bloodshed or mutual slaughter. In order to evade misfortune, they have the first meal of this day without meat. Instead, they take vegetarian food for the sake of virtue.
What is special during the New Year is that parents or elders will distribute red packets(ang pao or ya sui qian)to the children. People in the ancient times were more particular in giving away the red packets: the distribution took place on the eve of New Year so that the kids could suppress the past year and enter the New Year. Ya sui has the meaning of overcoming the unpredictable future. Representing the wishes for the healthy psychological growth of the children, ya sui qian symbolises the elders' hope to see their children overcome all the unpredictable elements brought by the "year".
There is an extraordinary number of taboos on Yuandan. Each place has its own customs of taboo. Here, we will mention only a few common taboos in Fujian Province, Guangdong Province and Southeast Asia:
In the past, people commonly believed that fortune was hidden in the house. So, w\sweeping of floor must be done in the direction moving inwards, and there was no clearance of rubbish at night. Particularly on the New Tear day, in order to keep fortune from flowing out, there was no sweeping. Some families kept this taboo until the fifth or even the fifteenth day. If anything was broken, the pieces were wrapped up in order not to let the fortune slip away and were disposed only the fifth day.
Yuandan(in more serious families, the period extends from the 1st to the 15th day) marks the new beginning. In the hope that New Year brings good beginning, people should utter neither unkind words nor vulgar language. Making noises, fighting, quarreling and especially weeping are avoided to deter misfortune. There are even taboos of taking medicine and having sneeze, for it is believed that they can lead to sickness throughout the year. Taboos of the past also concerned the use of knife and the breaking of things. If a thing was broken, the word "break" or any other word importing similar meaning was not used. Instead, words like "failing to the floor and blossoming like flowers" which delivered pleasant senses were used to suggest good connections.
On Yuandan, neither lending and nor giving of money to others is done so that there will be no out-flowing of money during the year. There is also the saying that if a male sleeps in the afternoon, his career will breakdown, and if a female has an afternoon nap, the kitchen will collapse.
Ancient rite: In the past, there was a rite called he zheng(proper greeting)during New Year. When a person paid a New Year visit to friends or relatives, he took along a piece of paper or card on which the name of the host was written wit Chinese brush. The receiver of this greeting card would normally paste it on the wall of his main hall to show his respect to and appreciation for the visitor. The quantity of greeting card received reflected the person's public relationship with others, while the names and status of the people who gave the greeting cards indicated the host's boundary of social network and standard of living. Nowadays, because of easy communication, convenient transportation system and wider social network, when people send their greetings they tend to follow the Western style. The greeting is now done by mail and even by email. Today, he zheng is done by simply bringing along red packets and food presents when making a visit.
To be in line with the custom of to giving away money on the first day, families in some places do not pay New Year call to others. Instead, the whole family simply goes out to enjoy themselves or stayed at home for family happiness.
In the past, there was a superstition that when a person left his house in the New Year, he must take the correct first step. A particular person would look for the fortunate direction in accordance with the day, month and year of this birth basing on the explanation of Chinese calendar. On Yuan Dan, when a person stepped out of his house, he must go in the fortunate direction and avoid the unfortunate direction. Even people of less particularity also consulted Chinese calendar to find out where the fortunate directions and fierce deities were before the first step out of their houses.
元旦的意思From the above mentioned customs, we can see that there are especially many taboos during Chinese New Year. On Yuan Dan in particular, there are more taboos on speech and behaviour than those on other ordinary days. Similarly, there are more activities in pursuit of good cause than usual. On probing the activities and taboos, we have no difficulty to understand that the theme behind is always related to fortune, wealth and goodness, and that people usually concern themselves with a good beginning for the year.
Some taboos may look superstitious on the surface, but they do produce efficacy. If we practise them circumspectively, they will yield practical results. For example, the prohibition of bad words, quarrel, weeping and crying, together with the emphasis on thinking positively even when things are broken, provide some normative rules for people to follow. This gives people the opportunity to mend their ways, to develop good attitudes, and to form a habit of thinking positively and looking at the good side of things. The prohibition of sweeping and disposing the rubbish in the first five days forces people to arrange their things and clear away the rubbish properly at the end of each year, so that no unwanted things will be carried forward to the new year. At the same time, the taboo also compels people to learn to be thrifty. This is because to prevent accumulated things from becoming rubbish, people must be careful in the use of any paper or other things, and thus avoid waste of things.
The avoidance of medicine and sneeze on the first day looks like a joke and is absurd as far as the patient is concerned. However, because of the taboos, people will be conscious enough to take serious care of their health during the windy and snowing season. Thus, they will avoid falling sick in the New Year and wasting away the precious spring hours.
Nowadays, people have abandoned the custom of bringing along greeting cards when they go for New Year house visits. However, Chinese Malaysians still maintain the habit of sending New Year greeting cards by post before the New Year.
There are even non-Chinese sending New Year greeting cared in English or Malay languages to their Chinese friends. Moreover, the Chinese like to use colourful New Year cared to decorate their houses, so as to streng
