VOA慢速英语20060101

SPECIAL RROGRAM - Happy New Year! Yet January First Wasn't Always So SpecialBy George Grow

Broadcast: Sunday, January 01, 2006

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Millions of people are taking part in New Year's celebrations around the world. I'm Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty¹. We tell about some of these activities on this VOA Special English New Year's program.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

People around the world celebrate the coming of a New Year. The celebrations include parties and religious observances. Many people take part in special activities said to bring good luck and success in the New Year.

Ancient Romans observed New Year's Day on March first. Later, Roman leaders made January first the beginning of the year. One thousand years ago, parts of Europe started the year on March twenty-fifth. By the year sixteen hundred, many European nations agreed on a new system to measure time. It is called the Gregorian calendar. This calendar moved New Year's Day to January first.

VOICE TWO:

Today, Europeans have many ways to celebrate the New Year. Scotland² has a famous celebration called Hogmanay. No one knows for sure where the word came from. It could be from the Anglo-Saxon words for holy month. Another possibility is a Gaelic expression for new morning. Some people think Hogmanay could be from an old French word meaning gift. That is because it was common to give gifts at the new year.

For many centuries, fire ceremonies have been an important part of Hogmanay. The Scots set small fires as a way to end the old year.

Today, Hogmanay includes huge celebrations on the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh on New Year's Eve. More than one-hundred-thousand people attend these street parties. Bells ring at midnight. Everyone kisses each other and sings the traditional New Year's song Auld³ Lang Syne⁴. Poet Robert Burns based some of the song's words on a Scottish poem.

Another tradition is called First Footing. Many Scots believe that the first person to enter your house in the New Year will bring either good or bad luck. A tall, dark-haired visitor who comes with a gift is considered very good luck.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

January first is an important day in Greece. It is both the beginning of a New Year and Saint⁵ Basil's Day. Saint Basil was a leader of the early Greek Orthodox⁶ Church. Stories say he would come in the night and leave presents for children in their shoes. Many children leave their shoes out by the fireplace⁷ in the hope that Saint Basil will visit them.

In Greece, it is a New Year's tradition to serve Basil's Bread, or Vassilopitta. A piece of money is added to the bread before it is baked. When the bread is ready, it is divided in a traditional way. The first piece is cut for Saint Basil. The next goes to the oldest person in the house. Everyone is served, from the oldest to the youngest. Whoever finds the money in their piece of bread will have luck during the New Year.

VOICE TWO:

Other European countries have New Year's traditions. In Belgium, for example, children write messages to their parents on colorful pieces of paper. The children read the messages to their families on New Year's Day.

In Spain, everyone must have at least twelve grapes ready on the final day of the year. One grape represents each month in the year. As the New Year begins, a person puts a grape in his or her mouth each time the clock rings. Each piece of fruit is said to bring good luck and happiness in the New Year.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The New Year is celebrated⁸ in a big way in Japan. Japanese people often begin by cleaning their homes in late December. Some people hang long ropes across the front of their home. This is supposed to keep bad spirits away.

Many Japanese people visit a Buddhist⁹ religious center, or shrine¹⁰. Some people wear traditional Japanese clothing. Bells at Shinto shrines¹¹ ring one hundred eight times. A traditional story says that there are one hundred eight desires in every person. The story says that people can clean their hearts by listening to the bells ringing.

VOICE TWO:

Shrines in Japan offer visitors a small piece of white paper. Each has a message about what will happen to that person in the future. Many people tie the paper to a tree near the shrine.

January first is a special day for children because they often receive money from their parents. New Year's greeting cards are another popular tradition. Millions of people write and send these cards to friends in December. Japan's mail service works¹² to guarantee that all the letters arrive by January first.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Not all countries celebrate the New Year at the same time. This is because people in different areas have different ways to measure time. Some systems are based on the movement of the moon. Others are based on the position of the sun. Still others are based on both the sun and the moon.

Like much of Asia, Korea has two New Year celebrations. One is on January first. The other is on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The Lunar New Year begins on the day of the first new moon of the new year. The first day of the Lunar New Year is called Sol-nal (sole-lahl). Sol-nal has many special meanings and events. It is a day for family members to re-unite.

On the day before Sol-nal, Koreans place objects made of grass on their doors and walls. This is supposed to protect their families from evil¹³ spirits in the New Year. Some families attend a bell-ringing ceremony.

VOICE TWO:

Many Koreans make wishes for the New Year while watching the sunrise. Some wear traditional clothing. Family members gather early in the morning to remember their ancestors. After the observance, they eat a kind of rice cake soup. Koreans believe that eating this food will add an extra year to their life.

After the meal, young people lower their heads to honor¹⁴ their parents and older adults. This means good health and good wishes. Many parents give the children money.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Vietnam's New Year is officially known as Tet Nguyen Dan, or Tet. It begins between January twenty-first and February nineteenth. The exact date changes from year to year.

Tet lasts ten days. The first three days are the most important. Vietnamese people believe that how people act during those days will influence the whole year. As a result, they make every effort to avoid arguments and smile as much as possible.

Many Vietnamese people prepare for the holiday by paying their debts and cleaning their homes. Some people believe that different gods live in their homes. They say these gods watch over and protect family members.

VOICE TWO:

Just before the first day of Tet, the mother or grandmother in each family lights a firecracker. This is done to welcome the New Year. Then people go to sleep and wait for the sun to rise. At sunrise, they get up and put on new clothes. Rice cake is a popular New Year's food.

Like people in Scotland, Vietnamese people believe that the first person through the door on New Year's Day brings either good or bad luck. Children receive gifts of money, as they do in other countries. Some Vietnamese families give money or other gifts to visitors during the holiday.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

British Columbia, Canada has an interesting New Year's tradition. People of all ages put on swimwear and dive into the icy waters of English Bay, near Vancouver. The yearly¹⁵ event is called the Polar Bear Swim. It is named for the large, white animals native to northern Canada. The Polar Bear Swim started about eighty years ago. Today, the event has grown to more than two thousand divers¹⁶. Thousands of other people watch the event.

VOICE TWO:

In Brazil, New Year celebrations also involve water. But it is the warm water of the Atlantic Ocean. Millions of people go to the beach on New Year's Eve to watch fireworks. They wear white clothes to welcome the New Year and to bring good luck. Some people jump over the waves and throw flowers into the water while they make wishes for the New Year. Others light candles on the beach.

However you choose to celebrate the holiday, we in Special English wish all our listeners a Happy New Year!

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This VOA Special English New Year's program was written and produced by George Grow. This is Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Bob Doughty.

(MUSIC)

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 Scotland   

n.苏格兰

参考例句：

• He has been hiking round Scotland for a month.他围着苏格兰徒步旅行了一个月。
• Scotland is to the north of England.苏格兰在英格兰之北。

3 auld   

adj.老的，旧的

参考例句：

• Should auld acquaintance be forgot,and never brought to mind?怎能忘记旧日朋友，心中能不怀念？
• The party ended up with the singing of Auld Lang Sync.宴会以《友谊地久天长》的歌声而告终。

4 syne   

adv.自彼时至此时，曾经

参考例句：

• The meeting ended up with the singing of Auld Lang Syne.大会以唱《友谊地久天长》结束。
• We will take a cup of kindness yet for auld lang syne.让我们为了过去的好时光干一杯友谊的酒。

5 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

6 orthodox   

adj.正统的，传统的，惯常的

参考例句：

• They are orthodox Jews.他们是正统的犹太教徒。
• His ideas are very orthodox.他的思想非常合乎规范。

7 fireplace   

n.壁炉，炉灶

参考例句：

• The fireplace smokes badly.这壁炉冒烟太多。
• I think we should wall up the fireplace.我想应该封住壁炉。

8 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

9 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

10 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

11 shrines   

圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。
• Their palaces and their shrines are tombs. 它们的宫殿和神殿成了墓穴。

12 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

13 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。

14 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

15 yearly   

adj.每年的，一年一度的；adv.一年一次地

参考例句：

• The flower show is a yearly event in our town.我们镇上的花展一年举行一次。
• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。

16 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。