阅读：春节起源（中英文）

The most important festival in China is the Spring Festival. It is said that the Spring Festival evolved from an activity known as the Winter Sacrifice. It was a custom practiced by the people of primitive society.

春节是中国最重要的节日，据说春节源于原始社会中的人们在冬天举行的献祭。

As the cold winter began to recede （退却）and the warm spring was about to begin，the people of an entire clan gathered together. They brought out their bounty（恩惠） from hunting，fishing and the field. They thanked the gods for the blessings of nature，including the mountains，rivers，the sun moon and stars，They thanked their ancestors，then they shared and enjoyed the sumptuous（华丽的）bounty of the land，sea，air and fields as they ate，danced and sang heartily.

随着冬季的过去和暖春的来临，整个氏族的人聚在一起，拿出他们在狩猎，打鱼，种地中得到的。他们感谢各种神，感谢祖先。人们吃着，唱着，跳着来进行这种纪念活动。

In the beginning，their activity had no fixed date. But usually it was held at the end of each winter. Gradually，through the years，it was celebrated at the end of the old year or the beginning of the new. With the changes and disintegration of primitive society， the form and content of the Winter Sacrifice also changed. Ultimately，it became a festival to bid farewell to the old year and welcome in the new year. So it came to be called the Spring Festival.

开始，他们的活动没有固定日期。但通常在冬天结束的时候进行。渐渐的变成了在一年的结尾开头之际举行。伴随着原始社会的瓦解，冬天献祭的形式与内容也发生了变化。最终变成了一个辞旧迎新的节日。