我想多数读者都对春节有所了解，无论是从小就跟家人一起庆祝或是来到CA才知道有这样的节日。春节的习俗包括挂对联、贴福字、拜年和发红包、包饺子和吃饺子、团圆等等。但我这次想讲的并不是这些，而是《年》的传说。这个传说有很多版，我讲的是我小时候听到的故事。
传说有一只凶猛的恶兽，名叫年。每年除夕，年都会从海底爬出来，到村庄里伤害人类。有一年，村里的人们请教了一位仙童来帮助他们驱赶年：仙童告诉人们要用火烧竹子。果然，竹子发出的“啪啪”声成功吓走了年。后来，人们每年除夕都会放爆竹。
祝大家新年快乐、春节安康、岁岁平安、马年吉祥！
I imagine many reading this have some knowledge of the Spring Festival, whether they’ve celebrated with their family since they were young or just learned of it at CA. Lunar New Year traditions include pasting couplets and “福” on doors, children wishing elders a Happy New Year for red packets filled with money, making and eating dumplings, family reunions, and more. What I want to talk about isn’t any of these traditions, however, but the story of Nian. There are many versions of this tale, and the one I am telling is the version I heard when I was younger.
Legend says there was a vicious beast named Nian. Every Lunar New Year’s Eve, Nian would crawl out from the sea and hurt humans in the village. One year, the villagers went and asked an immortal child for help to drive out the Nian: the child told them to use fire to burn bamboo. As expected, the cracking sound of the bamboo successfully scared away the Nian. Since then, people set off firecrackers every Lunar New Year's Eve.
Wishing everyone a Happy Spring Festival and Year of the Horse!