小年到，春節的腳步更近了！
「小年」一般可譯為Little New Year，也可以用拼音xiaonian表示，後面再進行一定的說明解釋。
Little New Year (Xiaonian), usually a week before the lunar New Year, falls on Jan 17 this year. It is also known as the Festival of the Kitchen God, the deity who oversees the moral character of each household.
deity[ˈdeɪəti]：神
也有日曆將臘月廿三和廿四都標註為小年，原因在於南北方的小年會相差一天，北方多數人廿三過小年，而南方人的小年則要晚一天。
小年習俗繁多，用英文怎麼講呢？下面一起和雙語君（微信ID：Chinadaily_Mobile）學習一下吧。
祭灶王
Offer sacrifices toKitchen God
In one of the most distinctive traditions of the Little New Year is the burning of a paper image of the Kitchen God, dispatching the god's spirit to Heaven to report on the family's conduct over the past year. The Kitchen God is then welcomed back by to the home through the pasting of a new paper image of him beside the stove. From this vantage point, the Kitchen God will oversee and protect the household for another year.
「小年」最具特色的風俗就是「祭灶王」，具體來講就是將舊的灶王像燒掉，送「灶王」上天稟報這家人過去一年的善惡。大年三十的晚上，要在灶台旁貼一張新的灶王像，也就是「接灶」。這樣，來年「灶王爺」就能繼續監督並庇佑這一家人。
Most of the offerings are sweets of various varieties. It is thought that this will seal the Kitchen God's mouth and encourage him to only say good things about the family when he ascends to heaven to make his report.
人們還會在祭灶時給灶王爺擺上多種甜點做貢品，認為這會堵住灶王爺的嘴，讓他上天匯報時只說好話。
掃塵土
House cleaning
圖源：CGTN
Between Laba Festival, on the eighth day of the last lunar month, and Little New Year, on the twenty-third day, families throughout China undertake a thorough house cleaning, sweeping out the old in preparation for the New Year.
從臘八到小年這段時間，中國大部分家庭都會徹底清掃房屋，「辭舊迎新」。
According to Chinese folk beliefs, during the last month of the year ghosts and deities must choose either to return to Heaven or to stay on Earth. It is believed that in order to ensure the ghosts and deities' timely departure people must thoroughly clean both their persons and their dwellings, down to every last drawer and cupboard.
根據中國民間習俗，鬼魂和神靈都要在臘月選擇返回天上還是留在人間。為了保證「他們」及時離開，人們必須徹底進行清掃，包括個人衛生和住所，抽屜和碗櫃的犄角旮旯也都要打掃乾淨。
吃關東糖
Eat Guandong candy
Guandong candy, a sticky treat made out of glutinous millet and sprouted wheat, is a traditional snack that Chinese people eat on the Festival of the Kitchen God.
關東糖是用麥芽、小米熬制而成，是人們在小年吃的傳統小吃。
貼窗花
Pastepaper-cuts to windows
In the Little New Year, old couplets and paper-cuts from the previous Spring Festival are taken down, and new window decorations, New Year's posters, and auspicious decorations are pasted up.
過小年時，要把去年春節貼的春聯和窗花取下，貼上新的窗花、年畫和各種大吉大利的裝飾品。
沐浴理髮
Bath and hair-cut
下次剪頭髮要等到二月二了…… 圖源：CGTN
As the old Chinese saying goes, whether they're rich or poor, people often have a haircut before the Spring Festival. The activity of taking bath and haircut is often taken on the Little New Year.
民間有「有錢沒錢，剃頭過年」的說法。小年時人們常要沐浴理髮。
辦年貨
Preparations for Spring Festival
People start to stock up necessary provisions for the Spring Festival since the Little New Year. Everything needed to make offerings to the ancestors, entertain guests, and feed the family over the long holiday must be purchased in advance.
從小年開始，人們就要為過年置辦了，包括給祖先的貢品、招待客人的用品，還有過年期間一家人的吃食都要提前買好。
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來源： 中國日報網雙語新聞