单击此处编辑母版标题样式,单击此处编辑母版文本样式,第二级,第三级,第四级,第五级,*,*,*,Unit 8 Traditional Holidays and Celebrations,Spring Festival:,1)The time of the Spring Festival,2)Legends about it,3)Celebrations,Mid-Autumn Festival,1)The time of the Mid-Autumn,2)Legends about it,3)Celebrations,The time of the Spring Festival,The first day of the first lunar month is regarded as the new year of the Chinese.It is the most important and ceremonious traditional festival in China,just as Christmas Day to the Westerners.,Legends about Spring Festival,T,here was a monster called Nian(year)that would come out to eat people and animals on the eve of every New Year.To avoid the monsters attack,people would flee to the depth of the mountains and call this day Nian Guan(meaning the Pass of Nian).On one New Years Eve,there came an old beggar in Peach Blossom Village,where an old lady gave him some food and asked him to hide himself in the mountain to avoid the monster Nian.The old man promised that he could drive the monster away as long as he was put up for the night at the old ladys home.Being unable to persuade the old man into hiding in the mountain,the old lady went alone.In the middle of the night,the monster Nian dashed into the village.He trembled and cried when he saw the red paper on the door of the old ladys house,which was brightly lit.Just as the monster reached the entrance,there came blasting sounds that prevented him from moving any further.At that time,the old man,wearing a red robe,opened the door and the monster was scared away.Actually,the color red,firelight and blasting sounds were the things the monster feared most.,Spring Festival Couplets,During the Spring Festival of every year,all families in both urban and rural areas traditionally handpick a pair of Spring Festival couplets to paste on the door,adding some joyous atmosphere to the festival.The couplet is composed of two parts,the first line and the second line.There are a few points one should bear in mind when writing or buying the couplets:the numbers of words,parts of speech and sentence structures in the two lines must be the same;the content of the two lines must be related to each other;the tonal patterns and rhythms of the two lines must be the same.In addition,the couplets should be posted vertically,with the first line on the right and the second line on the left.,Dinner of the New Years Eve,The night before the Spring Festival is traditionally called New Years eve.The dinner for the whole family on this day is called New Years Eve Dinner.Every family member is expected to return home for the dinner.For someone really cant make it,other family members will put an empty chair by the table and place an empty bowl and chopsticks on the table,indicating that he(she)is not forgotten.,Paying New Year Calls,Paying New Year calls is an important custom during the Spring Festival.On lunar New Years Day,people visit friends and relatives,exchanging greetings and wishing them a happy new year in auspicious words.It is a way to ring out the Old Year and ring in the New Year and to send good wishes to one another.,Firecrackers,Firecrackers are a special product of China.They are also called and cannon weapons etc.Exploding firecrackers is an important custom during the Spring Festival,dating back over 2,000 years.Firecrackers were originally used to drive away poisonous mists or curb pestilence.Later,with the appearance of gunpowder,niter,sulphur and charcoal etc were filled into the firecracker bamboo pipe for explosion.Thus,bursting weapons were produced.As the blasting sounds are perfect for creating joyous atmosphere,exploding firecrackers has become a recreational activity with national characteristics.Nowadays,apart from letting off firecrackers during the Spring Festival to welcome the New Year,people also like to explode them for celebrations on weddings,foundation-laying ceremonies and grand openings etc.,Staying up the whole night on New Years Eve,Legend has it that in ancient times,there was a monster called nian or year that would harm people.Later,people found out that the monster routinely came out on New Years Eve,so people began to get together on this day,staying up and chatting,hoping for peaceful passage of the time.The custom of staying up on New Years Eve started in the South and North Dynasties,when people would stay up by the candle or oil lamp on New Years Eve.The custom symbolizes the warding off of all diseases and disasters,wishing for good luck in the New Year,.,The Poster Bearing the character FU paper-cut for window decoration,During the Spring Festival,every household usually sticks posters of various sizes bearing the Chinese character Fu(meaning good fortune)on doors and walls.The character is a symbol of happiness,bliss and fortune.Sticking the poster upside down means the arrival of luck,happiness,and prosperity,because the Chinese word Dao,or upside down,sounds similar as Dao,or arrive.,The time of the Mid-Autumn Festival,The 15th day of every