过年：年兽的故事
Guo Nian: The Story of Nian
Page 1
“过年”是什么意思？
What Does Guo Nian Mean?
A family makes dumplings, hangs lanterns, and puts up red decorations for Chinese New Year.
中国传统历法的新年从正月初一开始。这个历法用月亮安排月份，也会调整月份，让新年总在冬天快结束、春天快到来的时候出现。
说起这个节日，中国人最自然的一句话常常是：“要过年了！”“年”就是一年中的“年”；“过年”是送走旧年、迎接新年，也就是庆祝中国新年。
这个节日还有几个常见的名字。“春节”是今天正式、常用的中文名。“中国新年”直接说明这是中国的传统新年，英文常说 Chinese New Year。中文也有人说“农历新年”；英文里的 Lunar New Year 范围更大，还可以包括亚洲其他文化按照传统历法庆祝的新年。名字有重叠，但不同文化的过年方式并不完全一样。
可是，中文为什么偏偏说“过”年呢？一个古老的民间故事，把同一个“年”变成了一只怪兽。在故事里，“过年”听起来就像人们平平安安地躲过了Nián · 春节民间故事中害怕红色、火光和响声的怪兽。。
Chinese New Year begins on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar. This calendar uses the moon to arrange its months and makes adjustments to keep the new year near the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
When Chinese people talk about this holiday, they often say, “It is almost time to guò nián!” The word nián means “year.” Guò nián means celebrating the Chinese New Year—saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new one.
The holiday has several common names. In Chinese, Chūnjié means “Spring Festival” and is the modern official name. Chinese New Year makes clear which tradition we mean. Lunar New Year is a broader English name that can include new-year celebrations in several Asian cultures. The names overlap, but each culture has its own traditions.
But why does Chinese say that people “pass through” the year? An old folk tale turns that same word—Nián · 年兽 · The New Year monster in a folk tale that fears red, firelight, and loud noises.—into a monster. In the story, guò nián sounds almost as if people have made it safely past the monster Nian.
Page 2
年兽来了
Nian Is Coming
很久以前，人们说，在一个村庄附近住着一只可怕的怪兽。它叫做——年。
平常的时候，年很少出现。可是每到一年快要结束的时候，它就会来到村子里。人们害怕它伤害家里的牲畜，也害怕它闯进村庄，所以每到这一天，大家都会收拾东西，带着老人和孩子，到山里躲起来。
有一年，又到了这一天。村子里的人正急急忙忙准备离开，忽然来了一个陌生的老人。老人看见大家慌慌张张，便问：“你们这是要去哪里？”一个老婆婆告诉他：“年要来了。你也快走吧！”
可是老人听完，却一点也不害怕。他说：“你让我今晚留在你家里，我有办法把它赶走。”
老婆婆当然不相信。大家这么多年都拿年没有办法，这个老人怎么可能一晚上就把它赶跑？她劝了老人好几次，可老人还是不肯走。最后，村里的人只好先躲进山里去了。
Long ago, people said that a terrible monster lived near a village. It was called—Nian.
Nian rarely appeared. But whenever a year was about to end, it came to the village. People were afraid that it would hurt their livestock, and they were also afraid that it would storm into the village. So whenever this day came, everyone packed their things and took the older people and children into the mountains to hide.
One year, the day came again. As the villagers hurried to leave, a strange old man suddenly arrived. Seeing everyone in such a panic, he asked, “Where are you going?” An old woman told him, “Nian is coming. You should leave too!”
But the old man was not afraid at all. He said, “Let me stay in your house tonight. I have a way to drive it away.”
Of course, the old woman did not believe him. The villagers had been unable to do anything about Nian for so many years. How could this old man chase it away in a single night? She urged him to leave several times, but he still refused. In the end, the villagers had no choice but to hide in the mountains without him.
Page 3
红色、火光和响声
Red, Firelight, and Noise
The old man stands in red and firelight as cracking bamboo sends Nian running away.
天渐渐黑下来。整个村庄空荡荡的。到了半夜，年果然来了。可是这一次，它刚刚走进村子，就觉得有些不对劲。
老婆婆家的门上，贴着鲜红的纸。屋子里面，灯火通明。年停了下来。它似乎很不喜欢那刺眼的红色和明亮的火光。
就在它犹豫的时候——啪！啪！砰！院子里突然响起了一阵巨大的爆裂声。原来老人把竹子放进火里。竹节受热以后，一根接一根地炸开，发出噼里啪啦的响声。年吓得往后一跳。
这时候，大门突然打开了。老人穿着一身红衣服，站在明亮的火光里，哈哈大笑。年一看见满眼的红色，又听见震耳的响声，再也不敢往前走了。它转过身，逃得无影无踪。
Slowly, darkness fell. The whole village stood empty. At midnight, Nian came, just as expected. But this time, the moment it entered the village, it felt that something was wrong.
The old woman's door was covered with bright red paper. Inside the house, all the lamps were blazing. Nian stopped. It seemed not to like the dazzling red or the bright firelight.
Just as it hesitated—CRACK! CRACK! BANG! A tremendous burst of noise suddenly came from the courtyard. The old man had put bamboo into the fire. As the bamboo sections grew hot, they burst one after another with a storm of pops and cracks. Nian jumped backward in fright.
At that moment, the front door suddenly opened. The old man stood in the bright firelight, dressed all in red and laughing loudly. When Nian saw red everywhere and heard the deafening noise, it no longer dared to move forward. It turned around and fled without a trace.
Page 4
平平安安地过了年
Safely Through the New Year
Today, family gatherings, New Year greetings, red envelopes, and lively performances are all part of celebrating Chinese New Year.
第二天早晨，躲在山里的人回来了。他们原以为村子一定被年弄得乱七八糟，却发现老婆婆的房子好好的，村子也平平安安。大家这才知道：原来年害怕红色、火光和巨大的响声。
后来，传说这些习惯一直留了下来。红纸慢慢变成了红色的春联和各种春节装饰。烧竹子的爆裂声，后来变成了鞭炮声。除夕晚上，人们一家人在一起守岁。到了新年的第一天，大家互相拜年、说吉祥话。
于是，在这个民间故事里，人们不是等着“年”来伤害他们了。他们学会了怎样一起把它赶走，然后——平平安安地过了这一年。
The next morning, the people who had hidden in the mountains returned. They had expected Nian to have left the village in a terrible mess, but the old woman's house was unharmed, and the village was safe and peaceful. At last, everyone understood: Nian was afraid of red, firelight, and loud noises.
Later, the legend says, these customs remained. The red paper slowly became red Spring Festival couplets and other decorations. The exploding sound of burning bamboo later became the sound of firecrackers. On New Year's Eve, families stayed awake together to see out the old year. On the first day of the new year, people exchanged New Year greetings and shared wishes for good fortune.
And so, in this folk tale, the people no longer simply waited for Nian to come and hurt them. They learned how to drive it away together and then—made it safely and peacefully through the year.