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二月二“龙抬头”怎么翻译？

中国日报双语新闻

2023-02-21

每年农历二月初二，是中国传统节日“龙抬头”，它标志着春耕的开始。

The traditional Chinese Longtaitou Festival, or Dragon-Head-Raising Festival, falls on the second day of the second lunar month every year, and recognizes the start of spring and farming. This year it falls on February 21.

图源：视觉中国

“龙抬头”这个名字背后有几种解释。一种解释与占星术有关：古人将东方七宿角、亢、氐、房、心、尾、箕的组合想象成龙的形象。在农历二月初，“角”在黄昏时出现在地平线上方，但“龙身”的其余部分还看不见。

At the beginning of the second lunar month, a star called the "dragon horn" appears just above the horizon line at dusk, but the rest of the "dragon body" can't be seen yet.

另一种说法，也是最常见的说法——是龙抬头象征着万物从冬眠中苏醒，准备迎接新的一年。

Another saying - also the most common one - is that the raising of the dragon's head symbolizes the waking of life from hibernation. From this day on, insects and animals appear more often, ready to begin their life for another year.

二月二，龙抬头，风调雨顺好年头

在中国古代农业社会，农业高度依赖天气。适当的降雨和充足的阳光是年底丰收的必要条件。

In ancient agrarian societies, farming was highly reliant on the weather. Proper rainfall and plenty of sunlight were necessary for a good harvest at the end of the year.

图源：视觉中国

古人认为“二月二“，龙王苏醒，而龙王主管雨水，此后雨水也就越来越多。

Ancient people believed that after this day, rainfall increases because the rain-bringing Dragon King has awakened from his winter sleep.

适合耕种的季节就此到来。正如民谚所说“二月二，龙抬头，天子耕地臣赶牛。春耕夏耕率天地，五谷丰登太平秋”。

中国人也就将“龙抬头”视作一个祈求风调雨顺、驱邪攘灾、纳祥转运的日子。

二月二，龙抬头，大人孩子要剃头

在二月二，最著名的传统是理发，人们认为在这一天理发可以消除霉运。

The most famous tradition is getting a haircut. People believe that going to the barber on this day gets rid of bad luck.

图源：新华社

中国另一传统说法是，为了积攒好运气，人们应避免在正月里理发。因此，尽管现在讲究这一习俗的人越来越少，但在过去，一个月没剪头发的人们在二月二蜂拥而至，在理发店门口大排长龙。

Another saying warns that getting a haircut during the first month of the lunar calendar brings bad luck. Although today few pay attention to it, it was once tradition to line up outside barber shops on the day of Longtaitou, having avoided haircuts for the preceding month.

二月二给儿童剃头，则叫做剃“喜头”，借龙抬头之吉时，保佑孩子健康成长。

二月二，剪年糕，细些火，慢些烧

在龙抬头这一天，中国各地有着各种不同的传统美食。

苏州“撑腰糕” 图源：东方IC

在江苏苏州，节日期间会吃用糯米制作的“撑腰糕”。二月初二，以隔年糕油煎食之，以求腰板硬朗，耐得劳作，故称“撑腰糕”。时人诗云：“二月二日春正饶，撑腰相劝啖花糕。支持柴米凭身健，莫惜终年筋骨劳。”

Eating chengyao cakes, which are made with sticky rice, during the festival is tradition in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, in tribute to the saying, "If you eat chengyao on Longtaitou, your waist won't hurt all year."

福建人在节日期间会吃用豆腐和蔬菜制成的豆腐丸子，祈求新的一年风调雨顺、无灾无病。

而在山东部分地区，民间有炒料豆的习俗，寓意着一年到头好兆头，五谷丰登的美好愿望。

People eat toufu balls in East China's Fujian province during the festival, and often make tofu and vegetable balls to pray for family and business. Fried beans are the traditional festival fare for people in parts of Shandong province.

山西临汾的“龙须面” 图源：东方IC

同时，其他食物，如饺子、春卷和爆米花，在这一天也都以龙的身体部位命名，以作纪念。面条是龙须，饺子是龙耳，春卷是龙鳞，爆米花是龙子。

Meanwhile other foods, like dumplings, spring rolls and popcorn, are named after dragon body parts to mark the day. Noodles are dragon's beard (long xu), dumplings are dragon's ears (long er), spring rolls are dragon's scales (long lin), and popcorn dragon seeds (long zi).

图源：视觉中国