明天就是腊八节了，腊八节来了，春节还会远吗？“小孩小孩你别馋，过了腊八就是年，腊八粥喝几天，哩哩啦啦二十三。”这天往后，年味渐浓，家家户户都开始准备年货了，有的甚至都开始杀猪宰羊啦。那么今天我们就来学习一下如何用英语向外国人介绍中国传统节日腊八节吧
一、腊八节的由来
农历的十二月一般被称为腊月，在古代，“腊”、“蜡”、“猎”三字相通，都有祭祀的含义。
祭祀对于古人来说是一件极为重要的事情，在一年当中的春、夏、秋、冬四个大型祭祀活动中又以冬祭最为重要，人们往往会在一年当中的最后一个月将他们所捕获的猎物用于祭祀大典。“猎”通“腊”，腊的偏旁“月”通“肉”，指的就是用肉进行冬祭，所以举行冬祭的这一个月被称为“腊月”也就不足为奇了。那么，聪明的你也就能想到这个月的第八天为什么叫腊八了吧。
二、如何用英语介绍腊八节
As the old saying goes that “There’s no hurry, the Spring Festival comes after the Laba Festival,” Laba Festival marks the official start of Spring Festival. Chinese people celebrate the Spring Festival several days after the Laba Festival.
老话儿说得好：“小孩小孩你别馋，过了腊八就是年”，腊八节的到来标志着春节序幕的正式拉开。腊八过后一些天，就是中国人欢度春节的日子。
saying [ˈseɪɪŋ] n [C] 格言；谚语
go [ɡəʊ] vt & vi [熟词生义] 说
the Spring Festival 春节
In China, the twelfth month of the lunar year is called “La month”, and the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is “Laba Festival”, which is a traditional Chinese holiday to worship the ancestors and deities and pray for harvest and good fortune.
在中国，农历的第十二个月被称为“腊月”，农历十二月初八就是“腊八节”。它是中国的传统节日，人们会在这一天祭拜祖先和神灵，祈求丰收和好运。
lunar [ˈluːnə(r)] adj 农历的
worship [ˈwɜːʃɪp] vt & vi 敬奉（神）
deity [ˈdeɪəti] n [C] 神；女神
The most popular tradition on the festival is making and eating Laba porridge, which is quite delicious with multiple ingredients such as glutinous rice, red beans, millet, Chinese sorghum, peas, dried lotus seeds, dried Chinese dates, chestnut meat, walnut meat, almond, peanut, etc. As a nourishing and healthful food, Laba porridge serves as a symbol of good fortune, long life, and fruitful harvest.
三、腊八粥
腊八节最流行的传统是制作并食用腊八粥，腊八粥十分美味，包含多种食材，比如糯米、红豆、小米、高粱、豌豆、莲子干、干枣、栗子肉、核桃仁、杏仁、花生等。腊八粥是一种营养丰富、有益健康的食物，象征着好运、长寿和丰收。
multiple [ˈmʌltɪpl] adj 多的；多种的
ingredient [ɪnˈɡriːdiənt] n [C]（烹调用的）成分；食材
glutinous [ˈɡluːtənəs] adj 很黏的 glutinous rice 糯米
millet [ˈmɪlɪt] n [U] 小米
sorghum [ˈsɔːɡəm] n [U] 高粱
lotus [ˈləʊtəs] n [C] 莲花；荷花
date [deɪt] n [C] 海枣；椰枣 Chinese date 大枣；红枣
chestnut [ˈtʃesnʌt] n [C] 栗子；板栗
walnut [ˈwɔːlnʌt] n [C] 核桃；胡桃
almond [ˈɑːmənd] n [C] 扁桃仁；杏仁
nourishing [ˈnʌrɪʃɪŋ] adj（食物）有营养的；滋养人的
serve as 用作；充当
fruitful [ˈfruːtfl] adj 多产的；丰饶的
四、腊八粥的起源
There are different versions about the origins of the Laba porridge, and two of them are the most popular.
关于腊八粥的起源有着不同的说法，其中有两个是最广为流传的。
version [ˈvɜːʃn] n [C] 说法
（一）One of the most popular versions goes that Laba porridge was originated from Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang in the Ming Dynasty. It is said that things were tough for Zhu before he became the emperor. When he was suffering from cold and hunger, Emperor Zhu found some red beans, rice and other grains in rat holes and boiled them into porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Later, Emperor Zhu achieved the throne and named this day as the Laba Festival, the porridge as Laba porridge.
其中一个说的是腊八粥起源于明朝的朱元璋皇帝。据说朱元璋在成为皇帝之前，日子过得很苦。他在饥寒交迫的时候，在老鼠洞里发现了一些红豆、大米和其它谷物，于是他就把发现的谷物煮成了粥，那天刚好是腊八。后来，朱元璋即位，便将这一天命名为腊八节，将他喝的粥命名为腊八粥。
emperor [ˈempərə(r)] n [C] 皇帝
dynasty [ˈdɪnəsti] n [C] 王朝；朝代
suffer from 遭受（困难）；吃苦头
throne [θrəʊn] n [C]（君王的）宝座 the throne 王位；帝位
（二）There is, however, another touching story: When Sakyamuni was on his way to the high mountains in his quest of understanding and enlightenment, he grew tired and hungry. Exhausted from days of walking, he passed into unconsciousness by a river in India. A shepherdess found him there and fed him her lunch — porridge made from beans and rice. Sakyamuni was thus able to continue his journey. After six years of strict discipline, he finally realized his dream of full enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. In order to commemorate this incident, every year at the Laba Festival Buddhists eat Laba porridge and offer it freely to people.
另外一个感人的说法是：释迦牟尼在去高山求道的路上感到又累又饿。多日的行走后，他筋疲力尽，终于倒在印度的一条河边昏迷不醒。一位牧羊女发现了他，并喂给他自己的午餐——用豆子和大米熬成的粥，释迦牟尼因此能够继续他的修行之旅。经过六年的艰苦修行，他终于在腊月初八这天开悟得道。为了纪念这一事件，每年腊八，佛教徒们都会喝腊八粥，并免费提供给人们。
touching [ˈtʌtʃɪŋ] adj 感人的；动人的
Sakyamuni 释迦牟尼（佛教创始人。释迦是种族名，意为“能”；牟尼是尊称，意为“仁”、“儒”、“忍”、“寂”。）
on one’s way to 在某人去……的路上
in quest of 寻找……
enlightenment [ɪnˈlaɪtnmənt] n [U] 启迪；启发
grow [ɡrəʊ] linking verb 逐渐变得
pass into 逐渐变成；进入……状态
unconsciousness [ʌnˈkɒnʃəsnəs] n [U] 昏迷；无知觉状态
shepherdess [ˌʃepəˈdes] n [C] 牧羊女
be made from 由……制成
discipline [ˈdɪsəplɪn] n [U] 磨练
realize one’s dream of 实现某人……的梦想
in order to 为了……
commemorate [kəˈmeməreɪt] vt（用……）纪念；作为……的纪念
Buddhist [ˈbʊdɪst] n [C] 佛教徒
五、腊八节习俗
Other customs on Laba Festival
腊八节的其它习俗
（一）腊八蒜
The festival is also a day when people put garlic in vinegar to pickle for more than 20 days before the Chinese New Year. The garlic turns emerald green at last, and this Laba garlic will be eaten on Chinese New Year’s Day as a special festival dish.
腊八节这天，人们还做腊八蒜，会在春节前的二十多天里把大蒜放入醋中腌制，最后蒜会变成翠绿色，然后腊八蒜会被作为一道特殊的节日菜肴在大年夜吃。
garlic [ˈɡɑːlɪk] n [U] 蒜；大蒜
vinegar [ˈvɪnɪɡə(r)] n [U] 醋
pickle [ˈpɪkl] vt 腌渍
emerald [ˈemərəld] n [U] 翡翠绿
at last 最后；最终
（二）腊八豆腐
People in Yi County, East China’s Anhui Province, eat Laba tofu made several days ahead. They lay the tofu out in the sun before the festival, and after being exposed for a few days, the tofu turns golden on the surface and can then be used to make dishes. In Xining City, Northwest China’s Qinghai Province, locals eat wheat kernel rice boiled with beef and mutton.
在中国东部的安徽省黟县，人们会吃几天前就做好的腊八豆腐。节前，他们把豆腐放在阳光下暴晒，几天后，豆腐表面会变成金黄色，然后就可以拿来做菜了。在中国西北部的青海省西宁市，人们则吃用牛羊肉煮的麦仁饭。
kernel [ˈkɜːnl] n [C]（果实的）仁
mutton [ˈmʌtn] n [U] 羊肉
（三）腊八面
In northern Shaanxi Province, it is obligatory to eat Laba noodle soup made with eight different shredded ingredients. In the Tongguan-Lintong region of Shaanxi Province, Laba noodle soup is made with hot chili peppers.
在陕西省北部，人们习惯吃腊八面。腊八面由八种切碎后的食材制作而成。在陕西潼关至临潼地区，腊八面是用辣椒做的。
obligatory [əˈblɪɡətri] adj 习惯上的；惯常的；必须的
shredded [ˈʃredɪd] adj 切碎的
chili pepper 辣椒
（四）腊八吃冰
In some areas, a custom of eating ice is preserved. On the day before Laba Festival, people freeze water in a basin, and eat the ice on Laba. It’s said that the ice on Laba has magical effect. If you eat it, you won’t get stomachaches in the coming year.
在一些地区，腊八节还保留着吃冰的习俗。节前一天，人们会将水舀到盆里冰冻。等到腊八节那天人们就会吃冻好的冰。据说腊八节的冰有神奇的功效，如果吃了它，来年就不会肚子疼。
basin [ˈbeɪsn] n [C] 洗脸盆
the coming year 来年；即将到来的一年
（五）大扫除
Apart from preparing the dining table, families throughout the country undertake a thorough house clean on this day, sweeping out the old in preparation for the New Year, which is also a part of Laba Festival tradition.
除了准备饭菜，家家户户在这一天还会进行一次彻底的大扫除，清除旧物，为新年做准备，这也是腊八节传统的一部分。
apart from 除了……外
undertake [ˌʌndəˈteɪk] vt 着手做
sweep out 打扫干净；清扫干净
in preparation for 为……做准备
（六）腊八算
Laba Festival is also a day to do accounts and debt collection. In Chinese, “garlic” and “count” are homophones. On Laba, all stores check the balance of the whole year to see their profits and losses, including external debts, and this is called the “Laba count”. On this day, creditors will send messages to their debtors to ask them to prepare for payment.
腊八节也是算账催债的日子。在汉语中，“蒜”和“算”是同音字。在腊八这天，所有的店铺都会盘点全年的盈亏，包括外债，被称为“腊八算”。在这一天，要债的人会给欠债人送信儿，叫其准备还钱。
homophone [ˈhɒməfəʊn] n [C] 同音异形异义词
balance [ˈbæləns] n [C] 结欠；余额
external [ɪkˈstɜːnl] adj 外部的；在外的
creditor [ˈkredɪtə(r)] n [C] 债权人；债主
debtor [ˈdetə(r)] n [C] 债务人；借方
