中國傳統(tǒng)的新年食物

Given the importance of food in Chinese culture, it is not surprising that food plays a major role in Chinese New Year celebrations. "Lucky foods" are served throughout the 15-day-long celebration, also called Spring Festival.

鑒于食物在中華文化中的重要性，食物在中國慶祝新年中扮演重要的角色一點都不驚訝。在春節(jié)長達十五天的慶祝活動中，一直供應幸運的食物。

"Lucky food" sometimes is based on appearance. For example, serving a whole chicken during the Chinese New Year season symbolizes family integrity. Noodles represent a long life (an old superstition says that it is bad luck to cut them). And spring rolls symbolize wealth because their shape is similar to gold bars.

幸運的食物有時是基于外觀的。例如，在中國新年期間吃全雞象征著家庭的完整。面條代表著長壽（老迷信說把面條切斷會帶來壞運氣）。春卷象征著財富因為它的形狀和金條相似。

On the other hand, a food may be significant because of its name that sounds. For example, the Cantonese word for "lettuce is similar" to the word meaning "rising fortune", so it is very common to serve lettuce leaves filled with other "lucky foods". Tangerines and oranges are passed out freely during Chinese New Year because their names sound like "luck" and "wealth" respectively. Pomelo, the large ancestor of the grapefruit, signifies abundance because the Chinese word for it sounds like the verb "to have".

另一方面，食物或許因為它的名字聽起來幸運而變得重要。例如，粵語的‘生菜’詞的意思類似于增長財富，因此生菜葉子和其它幸運食物一起供應。在春節(jié)期間人們免費分發(fā)橘子和橙子因為它們的名字聽起來分別像‘幸運’和‘財富’。柚子是葡萄柚的祖先，代表著富足因為它的漢語詞聽起來像動詞有"to have"。

Fish also play a large role in the festive celebrations. The Chinese word for "fish" sounds like the words for both "wish" and "abundance". As a result, on Chinese New Year's Eve it is customary to serve a fish at the end of the dinner, symbolizing a wish for abundance during the coming year. For added symbolism, the fish is served whole, with head and tail attached, symbolizing a good beginning and end for the coming year.

魚在歡度佳節(jié)中也起著很大的作用，魚的漢語詞發(fā)音聽起來像愿望和富足。因此，除夕夜團圓飯結束的時候通常來一條代表著來年富足愿望的魚。飯店要上帶著魚頭和魚尾的整條魚，它的補充意義是，象征著新年良好的開端。

Snacks such as sticky rice cake have symbolic significance as well. Their sweetness symbolizes a rich, honeyed life, while the layers symbolize rising abundance for the coming year. Finally, the round shape signifies family reunion.

糯米糕小吃也有象征意義。糯米糕的甜味象征著富裕甜蜜的生活，而一層層的糯米糕象征著來年的生活蒸蒸日上，最后圓形代表著家庭團圓。

Jiaozi (one kind of dumpling) is the must-try "lucky food" during Spring Festival. Its Chinese pronunciation means "midnight" or "the end and the beginning of time". It is said that dumplings were first known in China some 1,600 years ago. According to historical records, in ancient times people from both north and south ate dumplings on Chinese New Year's Day. The shape of jiaozi resembles that of ancient gold and silver ingots or a crescent moon, and it symbolizes the hope for a year of plenty.

餃子在春節(jié)期間是必吃的幸運食物。在漢語發(fā)音中意思是‘午夜’或結束和時間的開始。據(jù)說在中國人們最初知道餃子是在1600年以前。根據(jù)歷史記載，古時候北方和南方人在中國新年那天吃餃子，餃子的形狀類似于古代的金銀元寶和新月，它代表著對來年豐收富足的希望。

While jiaozi is popular in the north, a rice pudding called niangao (or New Year Cakes) is among the foods most popular in the south. In Chinese, "gao" is a homonym for "high". The food symbolizing progress and promotion at work and life year by year, is a sweet, sticky, brown cake made from rice flour and sugar, a kind of glutinous white cake in the shape of rectangle. It is delicious when steamed, fried, fried with eggs or even eaten cold. 

盡管餃子在北方受歡迎，在南方最受歡迎的是稱作年糕或新年蛋糕的米飯布丁。在漢語，"gao"的諧音是"high"。年糕象征著在工作和生活中進步和晉升一年比一年好，年糕是由米粉和糖制作的甜甜的，粘粘的棕色糕，一種長方形的白色糯米糕。糯米糕蒸，和雞蛋一起炸，甚至涼著吃的時候都很美味可口。

The Lantern Festival is an important traditional Chinese festival, which is on the 15th of the first lunar month, marking the end of celebrations of the Chinese New Year. Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns, another important part of the festival is eating yuanxiao (or tangtuan, small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour). Obviously, the name was from the festival itself. Filled with sweet stuffing and round in shape, it symbolizes family unity, completeness and happiness.

元宵節(jié)是中國一個傳統(tǒng)的重要節(jié)日，它在正月的第十五天，標志著新年歡慶活動的結束。除了娛樂和燈展以外，節(jié)日另一個重要的部分就是吃由糯米粉制作的元宵或糖團。顯然，食物的名字來源于節(jié)日本身。元宵餡是甜的，形狀是圓的，象征著家庭團結，完整和幸福。

（聽力課堂網(wǎng)Vicky編輯）

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