Január 31.-én kezdődik "a ló éve".
Chinese New Year Facts
The 15-day festival, which starts on January 31 this year, starts with the first new moon of each calendar year and ends on the full moon. According to Chinese astrology, it will be the Year of the Horse: this animal brings surprises in adventure and romance, and people born during this year are believed to be good communicators, kind, talkative, independent, and impatient.
Food is a big part of Chinese New Year celebrations, and many meals are eaten with family and friends. Some traditional dishes for the holidays are the New Year cake made from rice, steamed rice pudding, long noodles(for longevity), raw fish (for success), and dumplings.
Homes are cleaned top to bottom before the beginning of the new year, and all cleaning equipment is put away before New Year’s Eve because good fortune may be swept away if cleaning is done on New Year’s Day.
Before New Year’s Day, homes are decorated with trays of oranges and tangerines, a candy tray with eight kinds of dried sweet fruits, and live plants and vases of fresh flowers. Wishes for the new year are written on red paper. Red is a key colour for New Year’s celebrations, as it symbolizes a bright and happy future. People wear red clothing during the festivities. Children, unmarried friends, and close relatives are given little red envelopes with money inside for good luck.
Legend holds that the Chinese New Year began with a battle against a mythical beast called the Nian, who would come on the first day of the new year to eat children, livestock, and crops. In order to protect themselves from the Nian, villagers put food in front of their doors so that the creature would eat that and leave everything else alone. It was believed that the Nian was afraid of the colour red and firecrackers, so people would hang red lanterns outside and set off firecrackers.
The Lantern Festival on the 15th night is an ancient festival, going back for more than two thousand years. As part of the festivities, children take part in a nighttime parade, carrying lanterns with wishes drawn and written on them. The beautiful flying lanterns of the festival carry people’s dreams to heaven.
according to – szerint
talkative – bőbeszédű
independent – önálló
impatient – türelmetlen
longevity – hosszú élet
raw – nyers
dumpling – gombóc
equipment – felszerelés
to sweep away – kiseperni, elseperni
wish – kívánság
unmarried – nőtlen, hajadon
battle – csata
beast – szörny
livestock – háziállatok
crops – termés
in order to – abból a célból, hogy
so that – azért, hogy
to leave something/someone alone – békén hagyni
firecracker – petárda
lantern – lampion, lámpás
ancient – ősi
nighttime parade – éjszakai felvonulás
heaven – mennyország
True or false?
1. Firecrackers and red lanterns bring good luck.
2. People born in the Year of the Horse have great communication skills but can be impatient.
3. The Chinese celebrate the beginning of the new year for a whole month.
4. Fish is a main ingredient in many new year dishes.
5. Children carry lanterns at the nighttime parade on the last day of the festival.
answers: 1-F 2-T 3-F 4-F 5-T
