奶爸专栏|聊聊《Moment in Peking》（京华烟云）中那些渐行渐远的中国民俗

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终于断断续续补完了林语堂先生的英文原著《Moment in Peking》，早在之前的公众号文章每周一讲|聊一聊你不该错过的BBC纪录片（里面有BBC《中国新年》，点击文末“阅读原文”获取）里就曾提及，如今年味越发淡了，习俗或减或消失，再小一些如我女儿般的00后都不大知晓甚至有些排斥，比如她对我坚持冬至吃饺子（北方）这样的习俗颇为不满；略长一些如我学生般年轻人多数不会包饺子，且对中国习俗知之甚少，又何谈用英语传播中华文化？

婚礼习俗

龙凤帖

In the summer of 1909, the ceremony of "requesting the date"of the wedding was formally gone through by the Tseng family sending the"dragon-and-phoenix card," the dragon representing the male and the phoenix the female.

宣统元年的夏天，曾家正式向姚家送上龙凤帖，请求选择好日子，举行婚礼。

It was accompanied by"dragon-and-phoenix cakes," silks, tealeaves, fruits, a pair of living geese, and four jars of wine.

同时送来的还有龙凤糕、绸缎、茶叶、果品、一对活鹅和四坛子酒。

嫁妆

Next she gave a red envelope containing a bank check for six hundred taels, which constituted the pingli , usually given months before the wedding by the bridegroom's family for the bride to buy her trousseau with, apart from the actual dresses.

其次，她又给了一个红包，里面有钱庄的六百两银子的庄票，是聘礼，平常是婚礼几个月前婆家送新娘家给新娘添制衣裳首饰的，婆家送的衣物另在外。

The trousseau came in seventy-two open exhibit cases in the order of gold, silver, jade, jewelry, bedroom outfits, library outfits, an-tiques,silks, furs, trunks, and quilts.

嫁妆是分装七十二抬，一路敞开任人观看的。按先后顺序是金、银、玉、首饰、卧房用物、书房的文房四宝等物，古玩、绸缎、皮毛衣裳、衣箱、被褥。

哭嫁+花轿+凤冠

Yet she shed tears on her wedding morning,as brides so often do, tears that come from the most unsuspected corners of her heart.

然而她也同别的新娘一样，在出阁那天早上流了泪，从最意想不到的心底流出的泪水。

When the sedan chairs arrived, Mannia's bridal diadem was put on and a red silk veil hung before her face which completely hid it from onlookers.

花轿一到，要戴上凤冠，脸前要蒙一块红绸巾，就没人可以看见她了。

敬酒+交杯酒

All through the dinner, Mulan went about to each table with the bridegroom, to drink the health of the guests.

喜筵上木兰和新郎到各个桌上去向来宾敬酒。

During the "joining cups" ceremony in the afternoon, Mulan hadhad a short talk with Sunya.

那天下午，新郎新娘饮“合卺杯”时，木兰曾经和荪亚说了几句简短的话。

会亲戚+闹洞房

There would be feasting that day at noon for guests who could not be accommodated on the first day; and in the evening, a dinner was to be given to the bride's entire family, known as the "meeting of relatives”.

这一天有午宴，招待第一天没招待过的客人；晚上又开宴席，请新娘全家，叫做“会亲戚”。

While she was changing her dress, Cassia whispered to her that a crowd of Sunya's school friends were coming to "disturb the bridalchamber," and that the grandmother had sent her to be present at the"teasing party to prevent the young men from misbehaving.

她正换衣裳，桂姐告诉她荪亚的几个同学闹洞房来了，祖母派她阻止那几个年轻人不要胡闹。

敬茶+回门

She had to "serve tea" to all her new relatives in the Tsenghome as formal introduction to the family, beginning with the grandmother; and each elder must give her a present on the tea tray in token of the first meeting.

新娘必须向全曾家的每一个人“敬茶”，算是正式见面，由祖母开始。每一位长辈必须在茶盘子里放一件礼品，算是见面礼。

The fourth day was the day for the bride and groom to visit the bride's home and for the bridegroom to be entertained by her family.

第四天新娘回门的日子，丈人家要正式请新郎。

在小说第二十一章，作者用了大半篇幅对民国年间北京汉民族传统婚俗作了详细铺陈：婚礼举行前，男方正式向女方送上龙凤帖，以征得其嫁女的同意；女方同意后，双方即紧锣密鼓地做准备，包括呈送喜帖、布置新房、安排花轿、置办筵席、预定乐队等各项事务；出嫁前一天下午，女方的嫁妆开始陆续送来；出嫁当天早晨，新娘按规矩还要哭嫁；喜宴进行期间，新郎新娘需向每位客人敬酒；等新娘离开宴席后，同辈的年轻客人可以前去闹洞房；婚礼进行的下午，新郎新娘要共饮“合卺杯”，以示永结同心、百年合好；婚后第三天一大早，新娘须向婆家每个人“敬茶”，表示正式见面；婚后第四天是新娘“回门”的日子，一对新人要早起，赶在日出之前到达女家。经过上述繁冗复杂的程序，新婚庆祝才算真正宣告结束，新郎新娘获得了社会公认的婚姻地位。

节日习俗

清明节

She had hoped that the following spring Pingya could return to Shan-tungon the pretext of "sweeping the grave" at chingming Festival（or Tomb-sweeping Day）, at the beginning of the third moon, but his parents did not approve, because it was too long a journey and would interfere with his studies.

她本来希望来年春天三月初头平亚可以藉口清明扫墓回一趟山东，但是平亚的父母不赞成，一来路途遥远，再则耽误学业。

端午节

A disinfection, to drive away evil air, was usually done by burning mintherbs in the house on the Dragon-Boat Festival and children carried beautiful colored silk pendants on their breasts, containing fragrant powder from herbs to ward off disease for the summer, which was the usual season for epidemics.

端阳佳节各家都要焚艾草消毒驱邪，孩子们在胸前挂五色丝织香袋，以便在百病丛生的夏季防病。

中秋节

Mid-Autumn—the fifteenth of August—was one of the great festivals of the year, and Mr. Fu was invited to come for dinner with the Yao family.

八月中秋是一年三大节之一，姚家把傅先生也请来赴宴。

Mr. Yao ordered a big hamper of the best crabs, in accordance with the custom of eating crabs at Mid-Autumn.

姚先生买了两大篓子最好的螃蟹。持蟹赏菊度中秋，是中国的老风俗。

Mulan spent an enchanting night, watching the moon near the Tungping Lake on the night of Mid-Autumn.

中秋之夜木兰在东平湖衅赏月，过了一个赏心悦目的夜晚。

Let's play 'Break the Cassia and Pass the Cup. ”

咱们来玩儿“折桂传杯”吧。（PS:这个游戏有点像我们现在的击鼓传花）

The game consisted in passing a twig of cassia flowers round the table,while some one beat a small drum, and any one found with the twig in his hand when the drum stopped had to take a drink and tell a joke or a story.

这游戏是折一枝桂花在席上传递，一人击一面小鼓，鼓声停下时桂枝在谁手里谁就罚酒一杯，再讲个笑话或者故事。

冬至

Before she started on her vegetarian period she learned that Peking sausages and ducks were better than Shantung sausages and ducks; the Peking dumplings that she ate at Winter Solstice were daintier than the Shantung tangtuan; and Peking had such a variety of pastries and sweets, and all sortsof "small foods, "the names of which do not matter because one must eat them in order not to be deceived by their namesakes in other parts of thecountry.

她吃斋以前已经体味出北京的香肠和鸭子味道比山东的好；她冬至吃的元宵（PS:此处dumplings两位名家张振玉和郁飞都译作元宵，想必有历史，懒得查。但其实我倒觉得现在北方冬至吃饺子，莫不如还原本处为“饺子”）也比山东的汤圆讲究；北京还有各式糕点和甜食以及多种多样的小吃，名称如何是不相干的，只是要尝过以后才不至于上外地同名食品的当。

腊八

Now she still took the dumplings, and she took the lapacho, a gruel eaten on the eighth day of December, consisting of glutinous millet, rice,glutinous rice, red dates, small red beans, water chest-nuts, almonds, peanuts,hazelnuts, pine seeds, melon seeds, cooked together with white or brown sugar.

现在她还吃元宵，喝腊八粥。腊月初八那天都喝腊八儿粥，用黄粘米，白江米，红小枣儿，小红豆，栗子，杏仁儿，花生，榛子仁儿，松子儿，瓜子儿，跟红糖或白糖一起熬。

根据民众的重视程度不同，这些民俗节日还有所谓“大节”与“小节”之分，前者如春节、清明、端午、中秋、冬至等传统节庆，在民间受到格外的推崇；后者如二月二“ 龙抬头”、二月十二“百花节”、六月六“晒衣节”等，虽不若前者隆重，但也以口传心授的方式代代相承。在《京华烟云》中，林语堂对中国传统岁时节日多有涉及，其中最典型的当属中秋节俗的描写。在小说第十六章，林语堂借姚府庆中秋的场景，讲述了中国民间“持蟹赏菊度中秋”的古老风俗。每逢阴历八月十五，菊香蟹肥，月朗风清，人们暂时突破长幼尊卑的身份界限，男女老幼在庭院中欢聚一堂，饮酒赏月，共度良辰。晚宴结束之后，民间还进行一些诸如“折桂传杯”之类的游乐活动。除中秋之外，小说中还多次提及元宵、端午、冬至、腊八等传统节俗。

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编者后记

刷完了《神探夏洛克》第四季最后一集，之前第三季留给我的谜团一一解开。

【原】奶爸专栏|聊聊《Moment in Peking》（京华烟云）中那些渐行渐远的中国民俗