英语沙龙：希腊新年（在线收听）

Greek New Year's Day

The people of Greece hail September １as their New Year's Day because it marks the start of the Greek sowing season，a time of hope and promise．

To start things off right，farmers' families take plates of seeds to church for the priest to bless．On the island of Kos，people fashion first－of－the－year wreaths of pomegranates，grapes，quinces，garlic bulbs，and plane－tree leaves－－all of which are traditional symbols of abundance．Just before dawn on September １，island children carry their house－holds' wreaths down to the shore，the old year's wreaths and the new ones，and they throw the old ones out to sea．They briefly immerse the new ones，for luck．Then they carry sea－water and pebbles home in a jar，to serve，along with the new wreath，as protective devices．Tradition calls for exactly forty pebbles and water collected from the tops of exactly forty waves．This is also a time of trepidation．One old folk belief is that on this day the Angel of Death writes down the names of all those unfortunates destined to die within the coming year．

希腊新年

希腊人在９月１日欢庆新年，因为这一天标志着希腊播种季节的开始，这是一个充满希望和期待的季节。

为了有个好的开端，农家把种子放在盘子里拿到教堂接受牧师的祝福。在科斯岛上，人们流行用石榴、葡萄、蒜头、悬铃树的树叶等编织新年花环。所有这些都是传统上丰裕的象征。９月１日黎明前，岛上的孩子们把家里的新旧花环都拿到海边。他们把旧花环抛到海里，把新的花环在海水里迅速浸泡一下以求好运。之后，他们用罐子装上海水和小鹅卵石带回家，海水和小鹅卵石连同新花环能帮助他们驱魔避邪。传统上要求要捡正好４０块小鹅卵石和正好从４０朵浪花上汲取的海水。这一天同时又是令人惶恐不安的日子。有一个古老的民俗认为，在９月１日，死亡天使会写下来年里将死去的所有不幸的人的名字。