Expressing Traditional Chinese Spring Festival Customs in English

The Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year, is a time-honored and most significant celebration in China. Over thousands of years, it has developed a rich tapestry of customs that are cherished and practiced widely. In English, we can accurately describe these customs using the phrase “Customs of the Spring Festival.” Here, “Customs” refers to traditional practices, while “Spring Festival” specifically denotes the Chinese New Year. This expression is concise and clear, allowing foreigners to quickly grasp the essence of Chinese New Year customs.

How to Express the Custom of Posting Spring Couplets in English

Spring couplets, also known as door couplets, spring stickers, couplets, or peach blossoms, are written in neat, parallel, concise, and exquisite language to depict the background of the times. In English, we can express the custom of posting spring couplets as “Post Spring Festival couplets” or “Hang New Year scrolls.” If we want to emphasize the traditional custom of hanging spring couplets during the Spring Festival, we can say “Traditional Spring Festival couplets hanging.” For example, “In the traditional customs of our country, Spring Festival couplets are pasted on every household during the new year.” This practice symbolizes welcoming the spring and brings a festive atmosphere to the New Year.

How to Express Other Spring Festival Customs in English

1. Spring couplets: “Spring Couplets” are couplets that convey people’s wishes for the future and are traditionally pasted on doors during the Spring Festival. Window paper cuts: “Window Paper Cuts” are a beautiful form of paper-cutting art that symbolizes good fortune and happiness and is also a traditional custom during the Spring Festival. Firecrackers: “Firecrackers” are a celebration activity during the Spring Festival that symbolizes driving away evil spirits and welcoming good fortune.

2. Posting couplets: “Plaster couplets” are traditional decorations during the Spring Festival. Couplets are usually pasted on the sides of door frames, containing auspicious words and poems, expressing people’s expectations for the New Year and aspirations for the future. Setting off firecrackers: “Setting off firecrackers” is an indispensable part of the Spring Festival. People set off firecrackers to drive away evil spirits and disasters, celebrating the arrival of the New Year. The sound of firecrackers symbolizes saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, bringing good fortune and luck to the New Year.

3. Set off: The pronunciation of “set off” is [set f] in British English and [set f] in American English. Its meaning is to leave; start; embark; ignite (bombs); sound (alarms, etc.); trigger; provoke; stir up. Example sentence: Nichols set off for his remote farmhouse in Connecticut.

4. Setting off firecrackers: “Touch off the firecracker.” Chinese people often set off firecrackers during festivals, weddings, funerals, and housewarmings to celebrate.

How to Express Posting Spring Couplets in English

1. Posting spring couplets in English: “Post new years scrolls.” Example sentence: In the traditional customs of our country, Spring Festival couplets are pasted on every household during the new year. On the morning of the 30th day of the lunar new year, every household must post spring couplets to show the meaning of welcoming the spring.

2. Posting spring couplets in English can be expressed as “Post Spring Festival couplets.” When describing the action of posting spring couplets in English, we can say “Hang New Year scrolls.” If we want to express the traditional custom of hanging spring couplets during the Spring Festival, we can use “Traditional Spring Festival couplets hanging.”

3. Posting spring couplets in English is expressed as “Post Spring Festival Couplets.” Spring couplets, also known as “Spring stickers,” “Door couplets,” or “Couplets,” are written in neat, concise, and exquisite language to depict beautiful images and express good wishes. It is a unique literary form of China and an important symbol of the Spring Festival for Chinese people. When people paste spring couplets and the character of fu on their doorstep, it means that the Spring Festival has officially begun.

4. The pronunciation of “couplet” is [kplt] in British English and [kplt] in American English. Its meaning is n. Antithetical couplet (two lines of equal length connected by a rhyme); couplet. Example sentence: This antithetical couplet is my father’s handwriting. This antithetical couplet is my father’s handwriting.

5. Posting spring couplets: “Paste up/stick spring couplets/scrolls.” Posting the character of fu: “Paste up/stick the character of fu.” The character of fu not only represents luck and fortune but also represents happiness. The character of fu written on red paper expresses the Chinese people’s yearning for happiness. In people’s impression, the character of fu is usually pasted upside down, which sounds like “fu” (happiness) has arrived.

6. The English expression for posting couplets is “post couplets.”

How to Express Posting Couplets in English

Posting couplets in English can be expressed as “post couplets.” In English, it is: “Put on Spring Festival couplets.” Example sentence and usage: The Chinese paste spring couplets on the gateposts when celebrating the Spring Festival. During the Spring Festival, the Chinese paste spring couplets on the gateposts. On the first day of the new year, the first thing to do is to paste door gods and couplets. Every household will go to the street to buy spring couplets, and those with artistic interests will also spread paper and ink to write couplets, decorating the doors and windows of their homes. Setting off firecrackers: “Set off firecrackers.” Firecrackers are a traditional folk custom in China with a history of over two thousand years. Posting couplets in English: “posting couplets.” This phrase directly translates the action of “posting couplets,” where “posting” means “posting” and “couplets” refers to “couplets.” Couplets are a unique form of Chinese culture, usually consisting of two lines of parallel, relevant couplets, often used to decorate door frames during the Spring Festival, symbolizing good fortune and happiness.