摘要: 从二十三日祭神，到二十九日祭祖；从二十四日忙环境卫生，到二十七日搞个人卫生；从二十六日准备肉食，到二十八日准备主食。中国人忙而不乱，从容淡定地迎接新年。在一项项看似繁琐的准备工作中，人们细细品味着自己的生活，品味着祖先留下来的文化。

汉字的“年”，最早的甲骨文写法是由一个禾苗的“禾”和一个“人”组成的。“禾”是粮食的意思，“年”就是人们收获粮食。中国人春种、夏耘、秋收、冬藏，一年四季辛勤劳作，终于得到了收获，这一年一次的收获就称为“年”。

     The Chinese character for “year” (年, Nian) is derived from a oracle bone character consisting of “禾” (He, rice seedling) and “人” (Ren, man). Since “禾” stands for grains, “年” means harvesting crops. The Chinese plant in spring, cultivate in summer, harvest in autumn and store food in winter. All the hard work throughout the year brings a bumper harvest, and the annual event to mark the harvest is the Chinese New Year (年). 

我们中国人过年非常有讲究，一年中农历的最后一个月称为“腊月”，这是古人用猎获的肉类来祭祀祖先的月份每一天都有不同的安排。

     We Chinese have rather elaborate New Year customs. The twelfth lunar month is the “腊月” (La Yue, lunar December). During this month, the ancient Chinese would pay tribute to their ancestors with game meat. Today, specific customs are still observed on each day of this month. 

二十三 糖瓜黏

23rd Day of Lunar December: Serving Sugar Melons

腊月二十三日是传说中灶王爷上天的日子。中国人相信，每家做饭的锅灶里面住着一个“灶王爷”，他把这户人家一年来的举动都看得清清楚楚。腊月二十三日这天，灶王爷要回到天上去向掌管人间最大的神——玉皇大帝汇报这一家人的表现。所以我们必须“贿赂”一下灶王爷，给他吃甜甜的糖瓜（一种用黄米和麦芽熬制成的黏性很大的糖，扁圆型），让他上天以后多说好话，说“甜言蜜语”。

     According to Chinese legends, on the 23rd of lunar December, the Kitchen God shall return to heaven. The Chinese believe that in their cooking stoves dwells a “Kitchen God” who observes the whole family throughout the year. On this day, the Kitchen God shall return to heaven and report his observations to the highest deity, the Jade Emperor. We had better “bribe” the Kitchen God by serving him tasty sugar melons (melon-shaped sticky sugar made of brown rice and malt), so that he only reports “nice things” in heaven.

在土堆里抠出一个洞来，在里面点起柴草就形成中国人的土灶。灶王爷就是守护一家人平安的“家庭土地爷”。“祭灶”源于人们对火与土的崇拜。

     A Chinese stove is made by lighting up firewood in a hallowed mud pile. The Kitchen God is the guardian of the family, and the “stove worship” stems from the veneration for fire and earth. 

二十四 扫房子

24th Day of Lunar December: Tidying Up

 灶王爷上天后，到了腊月二十四日，家家户户就可以腾出手搞大扫除了。在今天，“扫除”是一个词，其实在古代“扫”是“清扫”的意思，“除”是门前的台阶。“除”字的“左耳旁”就是“阜（fù）”，阶梯的意思；“余”是一座房子的样子，所以“除”就是“房前的阶梯”。

     Now that the Kitchen God is in heaven, all households are ready for some rigorous cleaning on the 24th day of lunar December. Today, we take “扫除” (Sao Chu) as one word meaning to clean, but in ancient times, the two characters respectively mean “cleaning ” and “doorsteps.” The left part of “除” (Chu) is the radical form of “阜” (Fu) meaning stairs, while the right part “余” looks like a house. So “除” means “doorsteps.”

古时候，门前的台阶就是自家的“面子”，在新年到来之际，家家户户都要大扫除，把家的里里外外上上下下都打扫得干干净净，这才能过一个好年呐！

     In ancient China, the doorsteps were regarded as the “face” of a family. In the advent of the New Year, all households would tidy up every corner of their homes, and get prepared for some joyful festive celebrations.  

二十五 吃豆腐

25th Day of Lunar December: Making Tofu

      民间传说，玉帝听了灶王爷的汇报仍然不放心，要在腊月二十五日这天亲自下界来探视一番。这也是老百姓的好机会，正好可以向玉帝提提自己的愿望和请求。用什么方法祈福呢？做豆腐。

     Folklore has it that the Jade Emperor is concerned about the impartiality of Kitchen God, so he would personally visit the homes on the 25th of lunar December. The everyday Chinese could take this opportunity to express their wishes and requests to the Jade Emperor. And they pray for blessings by making tofu.

第一，豆腐的“腐”与“福”谐音。“福”字的左边是祭祀的祭台“示”，右边不是“一口田”，而是一个酒坛子。古人用酒祭神祈福。

      The Chinese word for tofu is “豆腐” (Dou Fu), and “腐” is a homophone of “福” (blessings). The left part of “福” is the radical form of “示” (Shi), which means the altar for worship. The right part of “福” is not interpreted as “一口田”, but as a wine jar because the ancient Chinese would use wine to pray for blessings. 

      第二，豆腐的制作过程中有“禄”。做豆腐有一个很重要的工序就是滤豆浆。古代滤豆浆的工序就叫作“录”，谐音“禄”。

By making tofu, the Chinese also express their wish for success with a critical procedure of filtering the soybean juice. The ancient Chinese referred to this step as “录” (Lu), a homophone of “禄” (success). 

第三，食用豆腐能增“寿”。“青菜豆腐”保平安，豆腐是家喻户晓的延年益寿食品。智慧而勤劳的中国人，祖祖辈辈用“做豆腐”这种简单而含蓄的方式向上苍祈求增福、增禄、增寿。

     Besides, tofu is believed to boost “longevity.” As a Chinese idiom puts it, “vegetables and tofu” keeps one healthy. Tofu is a well-known healthy food. The wise and diligent Chinese have been using this simple and subtle way of “making tofu” to pray for blessings, success and longevity for generations. 

二十六 煮大肉

26th Day of Lunar December: Cooking Meat

      农历腊月，古称“祭月”。“腊”字左边的“月”其实是“肉”，右边的“昔”就是“猎”的省略。“腊月”的意思就是“用猎到的肉食祭祀神祖之月”。所以在古代，腊月二十六日的肉食本来是祭神用的，顺便也祭一下自己的牙齿（打牙祭）。

      The lunar December “腊月” (La Yue) was called “祭月” (Ji Yue, worship month) in ancient times. The left part of “腊” means “meat”, and the right part is a component of “猎” (Lie) meaning “hunting.” “腊月” therefore means “the month for worshiping deity and ancestors with game meat.” On the 26th day of lunar December, the ancient Chinese would cook meat to worship, and also treat themselves with a good meal.

     “祭”就是用手把肉放到祭台之上。

     The character “祭” (Ji, worship) presents a scene where a hand puts some meat on the altar. 

君主用牛祭祀，牛是重要畜力，一般人不可以用。

Cattle were exclusively used for royal worship ceremonies by emperors, because they were important for agriculture and transportation. 

士大夫用羊祭祀，羊有君子之相，在中国汉字中，含“羊”的字皆与吉祥美好有关，如 “祥”“善”“美”。

Ancient officials would use sheep for such worship ceremonies, because sheep was thought to embody the character of a gentleman. The Chinese character for sheep is “羊” (Yang). It is also found in many auspicious characters, like “祥” (Xiang, auspicious), “善” (Shan, kind) and “美” (Mei, beautiful). 

普通百姓用“猪”祭祀，所以“家”字的含义是在“房”（宀）中用“猪”（豕）进行“家祭”。不管关系多么复杂，只要用同样的肉祭祀同样的祖先，就是“一家人”。

     The everyday Chinese would use pigs for worship activities. The character “家” (Jia, family) consists of a “宀” (the radical form of “房”, house) and “豕”, meaning pig. Thus, the character “家” means “a family worship activity with a cooked pig under the roof.” No matter how far apart two Chinese are in the family tree, as long as they worship the same ancestor with the same meat, they are considered “family.”

二十七 洗病疾

27th Day of Lunar December: Taking a Shower

     腊月二十六日杀猪炖肉，备好祭品。到了腊月二十七日这天就要洗澡，洗净身子祭祀表示对祖先的崇敬。人们相信在腊月二十七日这一天洗澡可以除去一年的晦气，洗去一年的疾病。同时，洗澡的“洗”与“喜”字谐音，洗澡也可以沾沾喜气。如果错过了腊月二十七日，就变成了“二十八，洗邋遢”了。

     After cooking meat and preparing for worship on the 26th of lunar December, one must take a shower on the 27th of lunar December. Taking a bath before worship activities shows people’s respect for the ancestors. The Chinese believe that taking a shower on the 27th of lunar December drives away all bad fortune and diseases for the whole year. The word for “taking a shower” is “洗澡” (Xi Zao), and the first character “洗” (Xi, wash) is a homophone of “喜” (Xi, happiness). So the Chinese also believe taking a shower brings happiness. If one waits until the next day to take a bath, he or she will only be “cleaning up on the 28th of lunar December.”

      用两只手往一个人身上浇水，帮助其洗浴就是“泰”字。泰国就是有“泼水”习俗的国家，中国的傣族也有此习俗。

The character “泰” (Tai) shows a scene where two hands pour shower water on a person, and “泰国” (Tai Guo, Thailand) has a celebration custom of “sprinkling water,” a custom shared by the Dai ethic group in China. 

在中国传统文化中，洗澡有强身健体，净化心灵的神奇功用。所谓“国泰民安”“否极泰来”，所以在新年到来之际，用“洗澡”为自己改头换面，为来年祈福，实在是一个经济实惠而又颇有意义的方式。

     According to traditional Chinese culture, taking a shower cleanses both body and soul. The character “泰” also means peace and stability. By taking a bath before the New Year, the Chinese are actually praying for good fortune in the next year. It is indeed an easy and economical way to celebrate the New Year. 

二十八 把面发

28th Day of Lunar December: Leavening the Dough

旧俗认为初一到初五期间不能动火蒸馒头，所以到了腊月二十八日，就该发面，准备正月初一到初五的主食了。在过去没有冰箱的情况下，普通的面食容易放坏，发面做出的面食容易保存。

     The old customs forbade steaming bread between the first and the fifth day of lunar January. Chinese households must therefore prepare enough staple food for those five days by leavening enough dough on the 28th of lunar December. This was because without refrigerators, food made of unleavened dough went bad easily, while food made of “leavened dough” (发面, Fa Mian) was easier to preserve. 

 “面”本指脸，中有一“目”，因为人脸上最重要、最具特征的器官就是“眼睛”。

The character “面” (Mian) originally means face. The “目” inserted in “面” refers to an eye, because the most significant feature of a face is the eyes.

腊月二十八日所发的“面”，其实是“麺”的简化字。“麺”由“麦”和“面”组成，“面”只表示读音。 在古代，“麦”和“来”是一个字，因为小麦并不是中国土生土长的作物，是从西域“来到”中原的。

     The “面” (Mian, dough) unleavened on the 28th of lunar December is actually a simplified version of “麺” (Mian). In the character “麺”, the “面” part defines the pronunciation. The “麦” (Mai, wheat) part and the character “来” (Lai, come) share the same origin. Wheat is not a local crop; it “came” to China from the western regions. 

二十九 请祖酒

29th Day of Lunar December: Inviting Ancestors

按照传统年俗，腊月二十九日清晨需要置酒请祖，年谣称：“腊月二十九，上坟请祖上大供。”这个活动就是为了邀请故去的祖先回来与我们一起过个年。事死如生不仅是孝道的重要标志，也是尊老敬老的美德。

The custom for the 29th of lunar December is inviting ancestors in the morning by serving rice wine. Folk ballades sing, “On the 29th day of lunar December, let us visit the grave of our ancestors and invite them to join the Spring Festival feast.” The Chinese would invite their late ancestors to share the joy of Spring Festival. Filial piety means revering both the deceased and the elderly. 

“亨”和“享”两字同源，都是在宗祠之中进献祖先之义，篆文写作“亯”，下面的“曰”就是“吃”的意思。

“亨” (Xiang or Heng) and “享” (Xiang) are two characters of the same origin, both meaning paying tribute to the ancestors in the family temple. In seal script, these characters are written as “亯” (Xiang), with the lower part “曰” meaning “to eat”.

 “享”是站在祖先的角度，“亨”是站在后辈的角度。所以在今天，“享”有“受”之意，“亨”有“通”之意。欢庆新春，蒙荫之人不可忘祖。

 “享” (Xiang) means to enjoy, and “亨” (Xiang) refers to the wares containing food. So the two characters mean the ancestors enjoy the food served by the descendants. It is for this reason that “享” also means to receive, and “亨” means a smooth connection (pronounced as Heng for this meaning). The gleeful Spring Festival is also an occasion to honor the ancestors. 

从二十三日祭神，到二十九日祭祖；从二十四日忙环境卫生，到二十七日搞个人卫生；从二十六日准备肉食，到二十八日准备主食。中国人忙而不乱，从容淡定地迎接新年。在一项项看似繁琐的准备工作中，人们细细品味着自己的生活，品味着祖先留下来的文化。