Little new year

小年并非专指一个节日，由于各地风俗，被称为小年的节日也不尽相同。

小年意味着人们开始准备年货，准备干干净净过个好年，表示新年要有新气象，表达了中国劳动人民一种辞旧迎新、迎祥纳福的美好愿望。

Little New Year (Chinese: Xiaonian), usually a week before the lunar New Year, falls on Jan 28 this year. It is also known as the Festival of the Kitchen God, the deity who oversees the moral character of each household.

小年通常在农历新年的前一周，今年是1月28日。小年也被称为灶王节，灶王爷是玉皇大帝派遣到人间考察一家善恶之职的官。

deity英/'deɪɪtɪ; 'diːɪ-/美/ˈdiəti/ n.  神

Household adj.家庭的；日常的；王室的n.家庭；一家人

道德品格

There are numerous customs associated with honoring the Kitchen God and determining the date of Little New Year. The date of this holiday was sometimes assigned according to location, with people in northern China celebrating it on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, and people in southern China celebrating it on the twenty-fourth.

关于敬灶王爷和小年的日期的选定又很多风俗。这个节日时间可能地区不同会有所变化，北方的小年是农历十二月二十三日，南方人的小年在第二十四日。

assigned v.分配（assign的过去分词）；指定；委派

Associated  /ə'soʃɪetɪd/  与…有关系；与…相联系

Offer sacrifices to Kitchen God

In one of the most distinctive traditions of the Little New Year is the burning of a paper image oftheKitchen God, dispatching the god's spirit to Heaven（天庭） to report on the family's conduct over the past year. The Kitchen God is thenwelcomed backthrough pasting of a new paper image of him beside the stove. From this vantage point, the Kitchen God will oversee and protect the household for another year.

小年最具特色的传统之一是，把灶王爷的画烧掉，让他去上天玉皇大帝汇报这一家人一年的表现。然后，通过在灶台旁再贴一张灶王爷的画把他请回来。在这（有利的位置），灶王爷将在接下来的一年里监督和保护这家人。

dispatching 派遣

The offerings to the Kitchen God include pig's head, fish, sweet bean paste, melons, fruit, boiled dumplings, barley sugar, and Guandong candy.

给灶王神的贡品包括猪头、鱼、甜面酱、甜瓜、水果、水饺、大麦糖，关东糖。 /ˈbɑːli/ 大麦

Most of the offerings are sweets of various varieties. It is thought that this will seal the Kitchen God's mouth and encourage him to only say good things about the family when he ascends to heaven to make his report. The Kitchen God will be invited to sit in a sedan chair for his trip to heaven.

大多数供品是各种各样的糖果。据说，当灶王爷到天上做汇报的时候，这能封住灶王神的嘴，让他只说好话。灶王爷是坐轿子去天上做汇报。

Seal n.印章

ascends  /ə'send/ vi.上升；登高；追溯

House cleaning

Between Laba Festival, on the eighth day of the last lunar month, and Little New Year, on the twenty-third day, families throughout China undertake a thorough house cleaning, sweeping out the old in preparation for the New Year.  美/ˈθʌrəʊ;θʌro/英/'θʌrə/

从腊八节到小年，中国各地的家庭都要进行一次彻底的大扫除，为新的一年做准备。

throughout  prep.贯穿，遍及

 Paste paper-cuts to windows

In the Little New Year, old couplets and paper-cuts from the previous Spring Festival are taken down, and new window decorations, New Year's posters, and auspicious decorations are pasted up.

在小年里，人们会取下前一年的春联和剪纸，换上新的窗贴、新年画报和吉祥装饰。

auspicious  /ɔː'spɪʃəs/  adj.吉兆的，吉利的；幸运的

Bath and hair-cut  /bɑːθ/

As the old Chinese saying goes, whether they're rich or poor, people often have a haircut before the Spring Festival. The activity of taking bath and haircut is often taken on the Little New Year.

中国有句老话，有钱没钱剃头过年。人们一般在小年这一天洗澡和理发。

-----------------------------转自北京外语广播-------------------------------

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