Lin Yutang

Lin Yutang's "Remembering New Year's Eve in the Old Calendar" is a prose describing the traditional Chinese Spring Festival customs and festival atmosphere. Through careful observation and vivid description, it shows the unique charm of the Spring Festival as the biggest festival of the year for Chinese people. 记旧历除夕 How I Celebrated New Year’s Eve 林语堂 Lin Yutang 中国阴历新年，是中国人一年中最大的佳节，其他节日，似乎均少节期的意味。五日内全国均穿好的衣服，停止营业，闲逛，赌钱，打锣，放鞭炮，拜客，看戏。那是个黄道吉日，每人都盼望有一个更好更荣华富贵的新年，每人都乐于增多一岁，而且还准备了许多吉利话向他邻居祝贺。 The Old Chinese New Year, of the lunar calendar, was the greatest festival of the year for the Chinese people, compared with which every other festival seemed lacking in completeness of the holiday spirit. For five days, the entire nation dressed in its best clothes, shut up shops, loafed, gambled, beat gongs, let off firecrackers, paid calls, and attended theatrical performance. It was the great day of good luck, when everybody looked forward to a better and more prosperous new year, when everybody had the pleasure of adding one year to his age and was ready with an auspicious luck-bringing word for his neighbours. 不能在元旦责骂女佣，最奇怪的是中国劳苦女人也清闲了，嚼着瓜子，不洗衣，不烧饭，甚至拿一把菜刀都不肯。这种懒惰的辩论是元旦切肉就会切掉运气，洗什么东西就会洗掉运气，把水倒掉就会倒掉运气。红色春联贴满在每家门上，写着：好运、快乐、和平、富贵、青春。因为这是个大地回春，生命、发达、富贵复归的节日。 The humblest maid had the right not to be scolded on New Year’s Day, and strangest of all, even the hard-working women of China loafed and cracked melon seeds and refused to wash or cook a…