Little New Year 小年

Little New Year (Chinese: Xiaonian), usually a week before the lunar New Year, falls on Jan 17 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，通常是农历新年的前一周，今年是1月17日。它也被称为灶神节，灶神是监督每家每户的道德品质的神灵。

deity

英 [ˈdeɪəti; ˈdiːəti] 美 [ˈdeɪəti,ˈdiːəti]

n. 神；神性

Here are six things you should know about the Little New Year, another sign of the start of spring.

以下是关于小年你应该知道的六件事，小年是春天开始的另一个的标志。

1. Offer sacrifices to Kitchen God

祭灶王

In one of the most distinctive traditions of the Little New Year is the burning of a paper image of the Kitchen God, dispatching the god's spirit to Heaven to report on the family's conduct over the past year. The Kitchen God is then welcomed back by to the home through the 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焚烧灶神的纸像，把灶神的灵魂派到天堂，禀报这家人过去一年的行为。之后，通过在灶台旁粘贴一张新的灶神画像，来欢迎灶神回家。从这个有利的角度，灶神将监督和保护家庭另一年。

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

灶神的贡品中包括猪头、鱼、豆沙、甜瓜、水果、水饺、麦芽糖和关东糖果。

dispatching 

英 [dɪˈspætʃ]美 [dɪˈspætʃ]

v. 派遣，发送；迅速处理，快速办妥；杀死，处决

n. 派遣，调遣，

stove

英 [stəʊv]  美 [stoʊv]

n. 火炉；窑；温室

vantage

英 ['vɑːntɪdʒ] 美 ['væntɪdʒ]

n. 优势；有利情况；有利地位

2. House cleaning

扫尘土

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.

在腊八节(上一个农历月的第八天)和小年(第二十三天)之间，中国各地的家庭都要进行大扫除，扫除旧的，为新的一年做准备。

3. Eat Guandong candy

吃关东糖

Guandong candy, a sticky treat made out of glutinous millet and sprouted wheat, is a traditional snack that Chinese people eat on the Festival of the Kitchen God.

关东糖（灶糖）是由糯米和发芽的小麦制成的粘性食物，是中国人在灶神节吃的传统小吃。

glutinous

英 [ˈɡluːtənəs] 美 [ˈɡluːtənəs]

adj. 黏的，黏性的；胶状的，胶质的

4. Paste paper-cuts to windows

贴窗花

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，人们把上个春节的春联和剪纸取下，并贴上新的窗饰、年画和吉祥的装饰物。

auspicious

英 [ɔːˈspɪʃəs]  美 [ɔːˈspɪʃəs]

adj. 有助于成功的，有利的；吉祥的

5. Bath and hair-cut

沐浴和理发

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.

正如中国有句老话说的，“有钱没钱，剃头过年”。沐浴和理发的活动通常在小年进行。

6. Preparations for Spring Festival

春节准备

People start to stock up necessary provisions for the Spring Festival since the Little New Year. Everything needed to make offerings to the ancestors, entertain guests, and feed the family over the long holiday must be purchased in advance.

从小年开始，人们就开始囤积必要的春节食品。在这个漫长的节日里，祭祖、招待客人、供养家人所需要的一切东西都必须提前购买。

A Spring Festival shopping list includes items such as meat, poultry and eggs, fruit and vegetables, rice and flour, cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, and tea, red paper, images of celestial horses and the Kitchen God. Incense and candles, snacks, new calendars, and toys must also be purchased. Not to be forgotten are new clothes for children and firecrackers to welcome in the New Year.

春节的购物清单包括肉、禽、蛋、水果和蔬菜、大米和面粉、香烟、酒、糖、茶、红纸、神马图和灶神。香、烛、小吃、新日历和玩具也必须购买。孩子们的新衣服和迎接新年的鞭炮也是不能够忘记的。

provision

英 [prəˈvɪʒn]  美 [prəˈvɪʒn]

n. 规定；条款；准备；[经] 供应品

vt. 供给…食物及必需品

poultry

英 [ˈpəʊltri]  美 [ˈpoʊltri]

n. 家禽

英文来源：中国日报网英文文化

剪辑：韩鹤、马芮