和外国小姐姐一起过大年

2019-02-01

新春故事

Morgane Evans——Education Consultant

MORGANE EVANS 2018年从华威大学英国文学及法语专业毕业后加入了UKPathway的文案团队。目前负责英国top20学校的申请文书工作。 春节即将到来之际,Morgane和我们分享了她过中国新年的经历。

//www.ukpathway.com/team/Birmingham/7664.html (个人介绍网址)

With so many Chinese students and families in the UK, it’s hard to escape the contagious festivity of Chinese New Year. But how much do us Brits actually know about the Spring Festival? From what I have learned from my Chinese friends and colleagues, the Spring Festival is a period of great celebration where families come together to experience the wonders and the hope that the coming year will bring.

现在,在英国生活着很多来自中国的家庭,和学生,他们都会庆祝春节,很难想象有任何人能忽视这么有氛围的节日。但是,作为一个英国人,我们又对中国春节有多少了解呢?就我个人来说,我对春节的了解都源自我的中国朋友及同事。我所知道的就是,春节是一个非常隆重的节日,是一个合家团聚,共同庆祝祈福的日子。

Decorations that symbolise good fortune and prosperity are displayed in the streets and in peoples’ homes such as red paper cuttings. In Chinese culture, the colour red represents good luck, and this is the reason why the Chinese New Year parades of London, Newcastle, Birmingham and many other major UK cities are illuminated by red Chinese lanterns, which believed to ward off bad off bad luck. Indeed, many customs of the Spring Festival are centred around ensuring good luck for the coming year.

春节期间,街道以及人们的家中会陈列很多象征财富吉祥的装饰品,比如红色的剪纸。我听说,红色在中国具有好运的寓意。这也是为什么伦敦、伯明翰、纽卡斯尔的这样的英国主要城市的中国城,在春节期间都用红灯笼来做装饰的原因,据说是可以用来抵御和驱赶厄运。感觉起来,春节的很多习俗都是围绕着来年好运这个主题。

Although these traditions appear very different to those that the British perform when celebrating the new calendar year, there is a huge shared custom: fireworks! In China, fireworks are used to scare away bad spirits but also to celebrate the new year.

尽管中国的春节和英国新年在很多传统上不尽相同,但是我们还是有共同的爱好的:烟花。我知道在中国的烟花除了用来庆祝新年还有驱邪功效。

I feel very lucky that this year, I will be able to celebrate the New Year twice and I can’t wait to experience Chinese customs and traditions with my new friends and colleagues at UKPathway, Birmingham. To everyone reading this, I wish you a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year !

今年我觉得特别幸运,因为我能庆祝两次新年(公历新年以及马上到来的中国农历新年)。我对即将在伯明翰和同事朋友们一起庆祝中国新年感到无比期待。也祝愿每一个正在读我的小段落的朋友们,春节快乐!万事如意!

春节后的第一个周末,伯明翰中国城将展开盛大的庆祝新年活动。2月10日周日,我们也将在中国城有一个喜庆的展台。届时,我们会为同学们送上最贴心的礼物;还有“命中注定——相亲配对”,到时记得和朋友们一起到我们的展台参加活动吧。告别单身狗的行列,成双成对庆祝你们在一起的第一个情人节!