大年初一:金鸡报晓
The first day of Chinese New Year, also known as the "day of chicken", officially begins at midnight.
午夜零点时分,人们正式跨入新年第一天,也叫“金鸡报晓”。
It is traditional to light firecrackers and make as much of a din1 as possible to chase off the evil monster nian.
传统习俗是,人们会燃放鞭炮,尽可能制造大的喧闹声赶走邪恶的妖怪“年”。
Most importantly the oldest and most senior members are visited with the visits strengthening family kinship.
最重要的习俗是,人们会拜访家中最年长的长辈,以加强家人之间的亲情。
Senior members of the family hand out red envelopes containing cash (Chinese: ya sui qian), a form of blessing2 and to suppress aging and the challenges of the coming year, to junior members of the family, mostly children and teenagers.
而家中的长辈会给晚辈(主要是儿童和青少年)红包(中国人称之压岁钱),代表着对晚辈的祝福,也是祈祷自己在来年身体康健、万事如意。