Translation: Spring Festival of Beijing (Lao She)
(translated by: alexcwlin; edited by: Adam Lam)
照北京的老規矩，春節差不多在臘月的初旬就開始了。
According to established custom of Beijing, Spring Festival starts during the first ten days of the last lunar calendar month.
“臘七臘八，凍死寒鴉”，
There is an old saying: “Temperature on 7th and 8th of last lunar month could freeze jackdaw to death”.
這是壹年裏最冷的時候。
This is the coldest period of the year.
在臘八這天，家家都熬臘八粥。
On this 8th day of the last lunar month practically every family cooks Laba Rice Porridge.
粥是用各種米，各種豆，與各種幹果熬成的。
This porridge simmers for a long time with ingredients of different types of rice, beans and dried fruits in water.
這不是粥，而是小型的農業展覽會。
You can say this is not porridge, but a small-scale agricultural product exhibition.
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除此之外，這壹天還要泡臘八蒜。
Beside this, people usually pickle Laba garlics on this day.
把蒜瓣放進醋裏，封起來，為過年吃餃子用。
They put garlics inside vinegar and seal up the container until Chinese New Year when the pickled garlics will be eaten with dumplings.
到年底，蒜泡得色如翡翠，醋也有了些辣味，
At the end of the lunar year, the pickled garlics would be green as jadeite and the vinegar would be a bit spicy-hot.
色味雙美，使人忍不住要多吃幾個餃子。
Both the color and taste of the garlics are so appetizingly appealing that people couldn’t help but eat a few more dumplings at the same time.
在北京，過年時，家家吃餃子。
During Chinese New Year in Beijing, all families eat dumplings.
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孩子們準備過年，第壹件大事就是買雜伴兒。
When children are getting ready for Chinese New Year, the first important thing they would do is to buy Mixed Nuts Candy.
這是用花生、膠棗、榛子、栗子等幹果與蜜餞摻和成的。
This is made of mixing together peanuts, cooked jujubes, hazelnuts, chestnuts, other dried fruits, and honey-preserved fruits.
孩子們喜歡吃這些零七八碎兒。
Children like eating these snacks.
第二件大事是買爆竹，特別是男孩子們。
The second important thing they would do is to buy firecrackers—particularly for boys.
恐怕第三件事才是買各種玩意兒——風箏、空竹、口琴等。
I am afraid buying different playthings, such as kites, diabolos, harmonicas, etc., would only be the third thing on the to-do list.
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孩子們歡喜，大人們也忙亂。
Children love this time of the year, and adults are busy scrambling to get ready.
他們必須預備過年吃的、喝的、穿的、用的，
They have to prepare for food, drinks, clothes, and things for use during Chinese New Year.
好在新年時顯出萬象更新的氣象。
It is an opportune time during the New Year that all things are going to have an air of turning refreshingly new.
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臘月二十三過小年，差不多就是過春節的“彩排”。
The 23rd day of the last lunar month is more or less a “rehearsal” for Spring Festival.
天壹擦黑，鞭炮響起來，便有了過年的味道。
Once it gets dark, sounds of strings of exploding firecrackers would furnish a flavor of Chinese New Year.
這壹天，是要吃糖的，街上早有好多賣麥芽糖與江米糖的，
Anyone looking for candies to eat on this day can find vendors of barley-sugar candies and glutinous rice-candies on the street.
糖形或為長方形或為瓜形，又甜又黏，小孩子們最喜歡。
These sweet and sticky candies are fashioned into shapes of rectangles or melons, and are definitely children’s favorites.
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過了二十三，大家更忙。
Once the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar-month is over, people get even busier.
必須大掃除壹次，還要把肉、雞、魚、青菜、年糕什麽的都預備充足
They have to do a thorough cleanup of their houses and stock up enough in meat, chickens, fish, vegetables, New Year rice-cakes and others.
——店鋪多數正月初壹到初五關門，到正月初六才開張。
Shops mostly close between the 1st to the 5th day of the new lunar year and do not open until the 6th.
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除夕真熱鬧。
Chinese New Year Eve is really lively.
家家趕做年菜，
All families hasten to prepare New Year dishes.
到處是酒肉的香味。
Everywhere is permeated with the pleasant smell of wine and cooked meat.
男女老少都穿起新衣，
People of all ages wear new clothes on this day.
門外貼上了紅紅的對聯，屋裏貼好了各色的年畫，
Red lucky spring couplets are plastered on the outside of doors and New Year luck-wishing drawings of various colors are posted inside houses.
除夕夜家家燈火通宵，不許間斷，
Lamps are lit, without interruption, throughout the night during Chinese New Year Eve.
鞭炮聲日夜不絕。
Firecracker sounds can be heard all day and night.
在外邊做事的人，除非萬不得已，必定趕回家來吃團圓飯。
People working far away from hometowns would, unless circumstances dictate otherwise, come home for the family get-together dinners on Chinese New Year Eve.
這壹夜，除了很小的孩子，沒有什麽人睡覺，都要守歲。
On this night, with the exception of very small children, hardly anybody would sleep and they would stay up all night as a custom.
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正月初壹的光景與除夕截然不同：
The scene on the first day of the New Lunar Year is completely different from that during Chinese New Year Eve.
鋪戶都上著板子，
Shops are closed with planks covering up the fronts.
門前堆著昨夜燃放的爆竹紙皮，
Firecracker paper bits from last night are strewn in front of doors.
全城都在休息。
The entire city is taking a rest.
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男人們午前到親戚家、朋友家拜年。
Men go to homes of relatives and friends before noon to extend Chinese New Year well-wishes.
女人們在家中接待客人。
Women stay home to greet visitors.
城內城外許多寺院舉辦廟會，
Many temples inside and outside of the city are holding temple-fairs.
小販們在廟外擺攤賣茶、食品和各種玩具。
Street vendors set up stands to sell tea, food and toys outside of the temples.
小孩子們特別愛逛廟會，為的是有機會到城外看看野景，可以騎毛驢，還能買到那些新年特有的玩具。
Children particularly love to wander around these temple-fairs because they could have a chance to see wilderness outside of the city, ride donkeys and buy unique New Year toys.
廟會上有賽馬的，還有賽駱駝的。
Temple-fairs hold horse races and camel races.
這些比賽並不為爭誰第壹誰第二，而是在觀眾面前表演馬、駱駝與騎者的美好姿態與嫻熟技能。
These races do not compete for first/second positions, but are intended to showcase gracefulness and skills of horses, camels and riders in front of spectators.
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多數鋪戶在正月初六開張，不過並不很忙，
Most shops open on the 6th day of the New Year but business would not be too busy.
鋪中的夥計們還可以輪流去逛廟會、逛天橋和聽戲。
Many shop employees could take turns to visit temple-fairs, stroll on overpass bridges and listen to Chinese operas.
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元宵上市，春節的又壹個高潮到了。
Glutinous rice dumplings are put on sale and Spring Festival reaches another climatic day.
正月十五，處處張燈結彩，整條大街像是辦喜事，紅火而美麗。
On the 15th day of the New Year everywhere is decorated with lanterns and colored festoons, as if the whole main street has turned beautifully red in celebration of a happy event.
有名的老鋪子都要掛出幾百盞燈來，各形各色，
Renowned time-honored shops display several hundreds of hanging lanterns of all types.
有的壹律是玻璃的，有的清壹色是牛角的，有的都是紗燈，有的通通彩繪全部《紅樓夢》或《水滸傳》故事。
Often these lanterns are uniformly of the same style, such as glass lanterns, ox-horn lanterns, gauze lanterns, or colorfully painted lanterns with storylines such as “Dream in Red Chamber” or “Outlaws of Marsh”.
這在當年，也是壹種廣告。
At the time, it is a sort of advertising as well.
燈壹懸起，任何人都可以進到鋪中參觀。
When the lanterns are hung up, anyone can enter the shops to look.
晚上燈中點上燭，觀者就更多。
At night when candles are lit inside the lanterns, more spectators would come.
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小孩子們買各種花炮燃放，
Little children buy different kinds of firecrackers to be set off.
即使不跑到街上去淘氣，在家中照樣能有聲有光地玩耍。
Even if these kids don’t go onto the street to cause mischiefs, they could play up a storm just staying home.
家中也有燈：走馬燈、宮燈、各形各色的紙燈，還有紗燈，
There are lanterns at home: merry-go-round lanterns, palace lanterns, paper lanterns, and gauze lanterns.
裏面有小鈴，到時候就叮叮地響。
Some of them have little bells inside which start ringing when certain times come.
這壹天大家還必須吃元宵呀！
Also on this day people would eat glutinous rice dumplings.
這的確是美好快樂的日子。
This is indeed a joyous day.
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壹眨眼，到了殘燈末廟，
In the blink of an eye, lantern lights start to wane and temple-fair activities begin to wind down.
春節在正月十九結束了。
Spring Festival ends on the 19th day of the New Year.
學生該去上學，大人又去照常做事。
Students are going back to school and adults are returning to work as usual.
臘月和正月，在農村正是大家最閑的時候。
The last and first lunar months are the least busy in farm villages.
過了燈節，天氣轉暖，大家就又去忙著幹活了。
After the Lantern Festival, weather turns warm and people get busy making a living.
北京雖是城市，可是它也跟著農村壹齊過年，而且過得分外熱鬧。
Even though Beijing is a city, yet it celebrates Chinese New Year just like a farm village except its activities are more effervescent.
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