Home for the Spring Festival

The Chinese New Year would not be complete without visiting relatives, usually starting on the second day of the new year. For people who are married, the first stop will usually be the wife's parents, then other relatives are visited in turn. Everywhere one goes, one hears the words "Guonian hao!" or "Xinnian kuaile!" (both mean “Happy New Year!”)

没有走亲访友的中国新年是不完整的，这一习俗通常从新年的第二天开始。对于已婚人士，他们首先会拜访岳父母，随后依次拜访其他亲戚。无论走到哪里，都能听到“过年好！”或“新年快乐！”的问候（两者都意为“新年快乐”）。

Of course, visitors should always bring a gift for everyone they visit. Children and young people usually get a red envelope with some money. The envelope should never be opened in front of the person who gave it. While in the past, red envelopes were nearly always given by an aunt, uncle, or grandparent to a younger family member, now nearly anyone of any age can give or receive a red envelope. Some companies even give them to their workers. These red envelopes are so popular that you can send them with money digitally to your loved ones, using your phone.

当然，拜访者应当为每位拜访的人准备礼物。孩子们和年轻人通常会收到装有钱的红包。红包绝不应在赠予者面前打开。虽然过去，红包几乎总是由阿姨、叔叔或祖父母赠予年轻家庭成员，但现在几乎任何年龄的人都可以给予或收到红包。一些公司甚至会将红包作为礼物送给员工。这些红包如此受欢迎，以至于你可以通过手机向亲人发送电子红包。

At the end of the holiday, it is time for people to return to work. The train stations, roads, and airports are once again packed with people going back to the big cities. As the weather begins to warm and spring arrives, flowers start to open up, and the new hope and good fortune people wished for at New Year's begins to show in the season's loveliness.

假期的尾声渐近，人们纷纷踏上了重返工作岗位的旅程。火车站、道路和机场再次熙熙攘攘，挤满了那些回归都市的旅人。随着气温的回暖和春意的盎然，花朵们竞相绽放，人们在新年所祈愿的新希望与好运，开始在这个充满生机的季节里悄然绽放。

My own first experience of the Chinese New Year was very much like that described above. I had just had a baby, and since we were far away from home, a Chinese friend named Mei helped us out. Mei's husband worked as a chef in another city, so Mei and her daughter rarely saw him. Then during the Spring Festival he was able to come home for a few days. Since we had a large kitchen and no relatives in China, we asked them to spend New Year's Eve at our house. Mei's husband spent the day cooking holiday food, including a fish so large that we had trouble finding a plate big enough for it.

我首次体验中国新年的情景，与上述描述颇为相似。我刚迎来了一个新生命，而我们远离故土，这时一位名叫梅的中国朋友伸出了援手。梅的丈夫在另一座城市担任厨师，因此梅和她的女儿鲜少有机会与他团聚。春节期间，他得以回家短暂相聚。鉴于我们拥有一间宽敞的厨房，且在中国并无亲眷，我们便邀请他们来我们家共度除夕之夜。梅的丈夫花了一整天的时间，精心准备节日佳肴，包括一条硕大的鱼，其体型之巨，让我们费尽心思才找到合适的容器来盛放。

We also made jiaozi together. During the meal, I got a jiaozi which was sweet. This is supposed to mean good fortune for the next year. Then we watched the CCTV Gala on TV. On the stroke of midnight, we went outside to set off fireworks. Though it was a bitterly cold Northeast China night, many people were outside lighting fireworks with us. While the food was wonderful, everything was plain and simple. What I remember most was the friendship we shared together that night so many years ago.

No matter where in the world you live, or whether you call it the Spring Festival or the Chinese New Year, this is a celebration of family, reunion, and hope for the new year.

我们也一起动手包了饺子。在聚餐时，我品尝到了一个甜美的饺子，这象征着来年的好运。随后，我们围坐在电视机前，观看了中央电视台的春节联欢晚会。午夜钟声响起，我们走出户外，点燃了烟花。尽管那是一个寒风刺骨的东北冬夜，但许多人与我们一同在夜空下燃放烟花。尽管美食令人赞叹，但一切却显得朴素而真挚。我最难忘的，是多年前那个夜晚我们共同分享的那份友谊。

无论你身处世界的哪个角落，无论你将这个节日称作春节还是中国新年，这都是一场关于家庭、团聚以及对新年的憧憬与希望的庆典。