1、A Comparision of Western and Chinese New Years Superstitions 对比：东西方的新年禁忌Besides getting sloppy drunk and kissing everybody in the room at the stroke of midnight, celebrants observed numerous lesser-known New Years customs and superstitions. Many of the superstitions associated with the event bear th
2、e common theme that activities engaged in on that day set the pattern for the year to come. Others have to do with warding off evil spirits or attracting luck. Because January 1 is the first day of the new year, we have drawn a connection between what we do on that day and our fate throughout the re
3、st of the year. Here are some of the ways we attempt to guarantee a good outcome through our acts on that portentous first day: Kissing at midnight: We kiss those dearest to us at midnight not only to share a moment of celebration with our favorite people, but also to ensure those affections and tie
4、s will continue throughout the next twelve months. To fail to smooch our significant others at the stroke of twelve would be to set the stage for a year of coldness.Stocking Up: The new year must not be seen in with bare cupboards, lest that be the way of things for the year. Larders must be topped
5、up and plenty of money must be placed in every wallet in the home to guarantee prosperity.Paying Off Bills: The new year should not be begun with the household in debt, so checks should be written and mailed off prior to January 1st. Likewise, personal debts should be settled before the New Year arr
6、ives.First Footing: The first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight will influence the year youre about to have. Ideally, he should be dark-haired, tall, and good-looking, and it would be even better if he came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of coal, a silver coin, a bit
7、 of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt. Blonde and redhead first footers bring bad luck, and female first footers should be shooed away before they bring disaster down on the household. Aim a gun at them if you have to, but dont let them near your door before a man crosses the threshold.The
8、first footer (sometimes called the “Lucky Bird“) should knock and be let in rather than unceremoniously use a key, even if he is one of the householders. After greeting those in the house and dropping off whatever small tokens of luck he has brought with him, he should make his way through the house
9、 and leave by a different door than the one through which he entered. No one should leave the premises before the first footer arrives the first traffic across the threshold must be headed in rather than striking out. First footers must not be cross-eyed or have flat feet or eyebrows that meet in th
10、e middle. Nothing prevents the cagey householder from stationing a dark-haired man outside the home just before midnight to ensure the speedy arrival of a suitable first footer as soon as the chimes sound. If one of the partygoers is recruited for this purpose, impress upon him the need to slip out
11、quietly just prior to the witching hour. Nothing Goes Out: Nothing absolutely nothing, not even garbage is to leave the house on the first day of the year. If youve presents to deliver on New Years Day, leave them in the car overnight. Dont so much as shake out a rug or take the empties to the recyc
12、le bin.Some people soften this rule by saying its okay to remove things from the home on New Years Day provided something else has been brought in first. This is similar to the caution regarding first footers; the year must begin with somethings being added to the home before anything subtracts from
13、 it. One who lives alone might place a lucky item or two in a basket that has a string tied to it, then place the basket just outside the front door before midnight. After midnight, the lone celebrant hauls in his catch, being careful to bring the item across the door jamb by pulling the string rath
14、er than by reaching out to retrieve it and thus breaking the plane of the threshold. Black-Eyed Peas: A tradition common to the southern states of the USA dictates that the eating of black-eyed peas on New Years Day will attract both general good luck and money in particular to the one doing the din
15、ing. Some choose to add otherSouthern fare to this tradition, but the black-eyed peas are key.Work: Make sure to do and be successful at something related to your work on the first day of the year, even if you dont go near your place of employment that day. Limit your activity to a token amount, tho
16、ugh, because to engage in a serious work project on that day is very unlucky.Also, do not do the laundry on New Years Day, lest a member of the family be washed away (die) in the upcoming months. The more cautious eschew even washing dishes. New Clothes: Wear something new on January 1 to increase t
17、he likelihood of your receiving more new garments during the year to follow.Money: Do not pay back loans or lend money or other precious items on New Years Day. To do so is to guarantee youll be paying out all year.Breakage: Avoid breaking things on that first day lest wreckage be part of your year.
18、 Also, avoid crying on the first day of the year lest that activity set the tone for the next twelve months.Other superstitions attaching to the beginning of the new year are: Letting the Old Year Out: At midnight, all the doors of a house must be opened to let the old year escape unimpeded. He must
19、 leave before the New Year can come in, says popular wisdom, so doors are flung open to assist him in finding his way out.Loud Noise: Make as much noise as possible at midnight. Youre not just celebrating; youre scaring away evil spirits, so do a darned good job of it! According to widespread supers
20、tition, evil spirits and the Devil himself hate loud noise. We celebrate by making as much of a din as possible not just as an expression of joy at having a new year at our disposal, but also to make sure Old Scratch and his minions dont stick around. (Church bells are rung on a couples wedding day
21、for the same reason.)The Weather: Examine the weather in the early hours of New Years Day. If the wind blows from the south, there will be fine weather and prosperous times in the year ahead. If it comes from the north, it will be a year of bad weather. The wind blowing from the east brings famine a
22、nd calamities. Strangest of all, if the wind blows from the west, the year will witness plentiful supplies of milk and fish but will also see the death of a very important person. If theres no wind at all, a joyful and prosperous year may be expected by all.Born on January 1: Babies born on this day
23、 will always have luck on their side.Barbara “baby boon“ Mikkelson(1) 崇尚吉祥是人类对美好生活的一种向往，特别是在过年期间，人们说话做事都要尽可能的体现“吉祥”，期盼在来年能平平安安，吉祥如意。今天，我们的特别报道见证过年的滋味就和您聊聊过年的禁忌。 正月是农历新年的开始，人们往往将它看作是新的一年年运好坏的兆示期。所以，过年的时候“禁忌”特别多。当然，各个地方的风俗习惯不一样，过年的禁忌也是不一样的。 现在人们的生活水平逐渐提高了，为图方便省事，不少年轻人对这些传统的禁忌习俗就不怎么讲究了。而年纪稍长的老人依然记得这些“禁
24、忌”。家住沙市区五星三村的程奶奶每到年三十的时候，就做上很多好吃的菜，蒸上比平时多好几倍的饭放在厨房里，从腊月三十一直吃到正月里。 爆竹一声除旧岁，送走旧年迎新年。到了初一，家里的垃圾也不能马上倒掉。这些垃圾要等到初三以后才能倒出去，因为以前的人都认为，把垃圾倒出去就是将自家的财气倒走了。到了过年的时候，程奶奶还会将平时缝缝补补用的针线盒收拾起来，做这些都是为了图了吉利，盼个平安。 在语言方面也有很多讲究。以前，一到过年，大人就会告诉小孩，过年时，千万不能说带有“破”、 “坏”、 “死”、 “穷”等不吉利的字眼。如果，一不小心，小孩说漏了嘴，大人总会在旁边接上一句“童言无忌”。 随着时代的变迁
25、发展，很多古时候传下来的禁忌都逐渐被人们淡忘了。如果过年没有这些禁忌，可能还真缺少了过年的气氛。禁忌种种，叫人担着点心，神经有那么一点紧张，却又能给人一丝希望，盼望着新的一年里有一个新变化，年味反而更浓。 (2) 农历过年期间禁忌 过年通常从初一到初五为止，初五之后就要隔开，表示这个年已经过了，开始要恢复正常生活了，传统习俗过年有一些禁忌，例如过年不要生气骂人、打小孩等等，以下是过年一般人常听到的禁忌。 大年初一： 1.已嫁之女不可回娘家：过年嫁出去的女儿回娘家，会把娘家吃穷，因此只能在初二或者初三回娘家，但是其中的含意是嫁去的女儿已经是别人家的媳妇了，过年婆家一定有很多人来拜年，媳妇要帮忙奉
26、茶服侍，因此初一不可以回娘家。 2.早餐忌吃稀饭、荤食及药品：过去的传统穷人家才吃稀饭，所以在年初一的上午一定要吃乾饭，表示家里整年度都会很富有，而年初一的早上叫做万神盛会，表示所有的神出来拜年，因此为表尊敬首先不要吃荤，要吃素，另外除了重病不得不吃之外，一般的补品补药初一最好不要吃。 3.忌叫他人姓名催人起床：年初一的上午不要叫人姓名催人起床，这样表示对方整年度都要人催促做事情。 4.忌跟还在睡觉的人拜年：年初一时对方还在睡梦中不要跟对方拜年，等对方起床再拜年，因为这样会让对方一整年都在病床中。 初一、初二忌洗衣：水有水神，水神的生日在初一初二，因此这两天不要洗衣服。 初一到初五： 1.白天不可午睡：过年期间白天睡午觉，表示整年度都会很懒惰，其中的含意是因为过年期间有很多客人到家里拜年，如果睡午觉的话对人很失礼。 2.忌倒污水、垃圾、扫地：过年期间不要从事洒扫的工作，因为这样容易把家中的财气扫掉。3.忌被他人自口袋掏取物件：过年期间不要让人从自己口袋掏东西，这样表示整年度钱财都会被人家掏走。 4.忌向人讨债：过年期间不管是被要债或者是跟人家要债的人在一整年间都会很倒楣，因此忌讳向人讨债。
