The first day of the first lunar month is Spring Festival, the beginning of a new year for China.?

? ? ? 農(nóng)歷正月初一是春節(jié)，對中國人來說是新的一年。

Spring Festival is China's biggest?festival and a day for family reunion. Being around family members at the turn of the year is a vital? ritual for the Chinese people.

? ? ? ?春節(jié)是中國最盛大的節(jié)日，也是家人團聚的日子。在新舊交替的時刻陪伴在家人身邊，是中國人至關(guān)重要的儀式。

The Spring Festival celebration is a continuous process, starting from the 23rd or 24th of the 12th lunar year. People often worship the Kitchen God，clean their houses, do shopping and put up Spring Festival couplets until New Year's Eve on the lunar calendar.

? ? ? 春節(jié)是一個持續(xù)的慶祝過程，自農(nóng)歷十二月二十三或二十四的小年起，就算是春節(jié)的開端了。人們會開始祭灶神，大掃除，買年貨，貼春聯(lián)等等,一直忙碌到十二月三十的除夕。

These customs can be traced back to a Chinese legend.Today Li Yanhe will introduce it to you.

? ? ? 這些習俗來源于中國的神話傳說。今天李炎赫將為大家介紹這個神話傳說。

Hello, everyone! My name is Li Yanhe. I am from Class 5, Grade 6. I like Spring Festival very much. Do you like it? Today I‘ll share a story?The Legend of Nian?with all of you.

? ? ? 大家好，我叫李炎赫，我來自六年級5班。我非常喜歡春節(jié)。你喜歡嗎？今天我要和大家分享故事《年的傳說》。

Long ago in China, in the deep sea, there lived a huge beast named Nian. It had a horn like a unicorn, manes like a lion, and a tail like a dragon. Every New Year's Eve, Nian would go to the nearby village in search of food. It ate the animals and the people！

? ? ? 很久以前在中國，在深海里，住著一頭兇猛的大野獸，名叫“年”。它如獨角獸一般長著角，如雄獅般的鬃毛，以及像龍一般的尾巴。每年除夕夜，年就會到附近的村莊去覓食。它吃動物和人類！

So, at the end of each year, the villagers had to hide far away in the mountains.

? ? ? 于是，每年一到年末，村民就會躲進深山里。

One New Year's Eve, an old man came to the village. He knew how to drive Nian away. “Nian is afraid of the color red,bright lights and loud noises!” The old man told the villagers. At midnight, Nian came to the village. It saw red papers on the doors and bright lights. Every one was dressed in red. They lit firecrackers and beat drums. There were bangs and clangs everywhere. Nian was scared, it ran away to the deep sea and never returned.

? ? ? 一個除夕夜，村里來了一位老人，他知道如何能把年趕走。老人告訴村民“年害怕紅色，怕亮光和吵鬧聲”。夜幕降臨，年來到了村子里，它看到家家戶戶的門上貼著紅紙，到處都有亮光.每個人都穿上了紅色衣服，他們又點鞭炮又打鼓，到處都是噼里啪啦的聲音。年害怕極了，它逃回深海里再也沒有回來。

From then on, Chinese people wear red on New Year's Eve. People decorate their homes with red couplets, red lanterns and paper cuttings. There are dragon dances and drum shows on the streets. The night sky is bright with fireworks. This is how people celebrate Chinese New Year, or "Guo Nian"——surviving the Nian beast.

? ? ? 從那以后，中國人在除夕夜穿紅色衣服。人們貼春聯(lián)，掛紅燈籠，貼窗花。街上還會有舞龍和打鼓表演，夜空閃耀著煙火。這就是我們中國人如何慶祝中國新年，或者是：過年，意思是趕走年獸。

編輯：高升

審核：甄茹