英语沙龙：11月14日：小狂欢节（在线收听）

November 14 :The little Carnival

The true Carnival ushers in the dreariness of Lent. In Cyprus and parts of Greece, the Little Carnival ushers in the Advent season, which, for purists, is also a time of abstinence. Many observe a forty-day fast, and generally no meat, sweets, or fats are eaten from November 15 until Christmas. So the Little Carnival is a last fling, a binge. Throughout the preceding week, Cypriots travel into the town from all over the countryside, just to shop for tonight’s feast. Nobody wants to be, as the saying goes, “caught barefooted and naked”when the Little Carnival arrives. For many country people, this constitutes a rare visit to town, so this has also become known as the time for replenishing household supplies, clothes, and shoes. An essential item at the feast is a type of sesame-seed-studded pastry, which is baked in the shapes of men and women, animals and farm implements, each with a little dough cross superimposed on top. One of these cookies is hung from a beam or placed before a household icon and left there for good luck until the next year’s Little Carnival.

In southernmost Greece’s Mani region, feasters gorge on a type of deep-fried knots and twists of sourdough. These are eaten with roasted meat, sprinkled with cheese, or drizzled with honey. Their very fragrance, it is said, signifies the start of the Christmas season.

11月14日：小狂欢节

随着正式的狂欢节到来的, 是枯燥的大斋期。在塞浦路斯和希腊部分地区, 小狂欢节之后便是基督降临节, 这对纯粹主义者来说, 也是斋戒的时节。许多人奉行４０天的斋戒, 从１１月１５日起直至圣诞节到来之前, 一般不吃肉、糖和油。因此, 小狂欢节是最后一次尽情欢乐的机会, 是狂欢的机会。在此之前的整整一周时间里, 塞浦路斯人从四面八方的乡村来到城里, 为这一晚的盛宴购物。谁也不愿在节日到来时像俗话所说的那样, “显得赤身光脚”。对许多乡村的人来说, 这是一次难得的进城的机会, 因此也成了添置居家物品、衣服和鞋子的时机。宴会时必不可少的一样东西是一种撒满芝麻的面点, 被烤成男人、女人、动物和农具的形状。每个面点上都放着一个小小的面制十字架。其中的一个面点挂在横梁上或放在家中的圣像前面, 一直放到来年的小狂欢节, 祈求好运。

在希腊最南部的马尼地区, 参加宴会的人要大吃一种用酵头发酵的油炸麻花, 同时还吃抹上奶酪或洒上蜂蜜的烤肉。据说它们散发出来的香味就表明圣诞季节开始了。