小年用英语怎么说？有关小年的习俗你知道多少（双语）

　　今天是农历腊月二十三，是传统的小年(有一些地方是腊月二十四过小年)。

　　小年的英文说法有很多：有直接使用拼音Xiao Nian的，有根据意义翻译的preliminary eve， 还有字面翻译的Little New Year和Minor New Year。

　　小年相关的习俗更是丰富多采，一起了解一下吧!

　　祭灶

　　小年，也被叫做灶王节(Kitchen God Festival)，和其他不近人间烟火的神祇不同，灶王爷掌管的范围就是百姓生活日常的灶台周边。祭灶这一仪式也反映了灶王爷亲民的可爱形象。

　　Chinese families believe that the Kitchen God returns to Heaven on this day to report on the activities of every household over the past year to his superior, the Jade Emperor, who will either praise or punish the family based on the Kitchen God's report. Families often offer sweet foods like candy in order to "bribe" the Kitchen God into saying good things about the family.

　　中国家庭相信这一天灶王爷要上天向玉皇大帝禀报这家人的善恶，让玉皇大帝赏罚。因此人们在灶王像前的桌案上供放糖果等祭品来“贿赂”灶王爷。

　　俗话说“二十三，糖瓜粘”，献给灶王爷的祭品有很多，其中最受孩子们欢迎的就是关东糖了。

　　糖瓜的主要原料是麦芽糖，还要掺上一些黄米，熬制而成。它的粘性很大，如果拉伸成长条，就叫“关东糖”;搓成扁圆形状，就叫“糖瓜”。冬天可以把糖瓜放在屋外。因为天气严寒，糖瓜凝固得很坚实，但里边又有些微小的气泡，吃起来凉凉的，脆甜香酥，别有风味。

　　祭灶的过程中，还要烧掉灶王像，灶王爷随着青烟飞上天界：

　　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 to the home through the pasting of a new paper image of him beside the stove.

　　小年最独特的一个传统就是焚烧灶王爷的画像，以此派遣灶王爷的灵到天界去报告过去一年这个家庭的行为。然后在灶旁贴一张他的新画像来欢迎他回家。

　　扫除

　　小年祭灶时也有打扫居所以辞旧迎新的习俗。

　　In Chinese, the character for "dust" is a homophone of the character for “the old”. By giving the house a thorough cleanse on the day, Chinese people believe that this would rid them of their poverty and bad luck from the previous year, so as to welcome a prosperous new year.

　　在中国，“尘土”的“尘”这个汉字与“陈旧”的“陈”同音。中国人相信，当天通过彻底地清扫房子，可以让他们摆脱过去一年的贫穷和霉运，迎来一个繁荣的新年。

　　洗澡、剪头发

　　就像打扫居所一样，洗澡、剪头发同样寓意着去除尘垢辞旧迎新。

　　The ancient Chinese believed that a haircut in the first month of the Lunar New Year would bring bad luck. People usually wait until the second lunar month to have their hair cut again... In order to fit into the new clothes for the festival, a haircut is highly recommended beforehand.

　　中国古人相信正月剪头会带来霉运，所以人们常等到农历二月才再次剪发……因此，为了配合春节穿的新衣服，提前理发是非常推荐的。

　　贴窗花、春联

　　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.

　　在小年的时候，上个春节时贴的春联和窗花被摘了下来，新的窗花、年画和喜庆的装饰品会被张贴起来。

　　小年到了，春节也就不远了。大家家乡关于小年和新年还有什么不同的风俗，欢迎补充呀!