Celebrating the Sun's Return 冬至團圓夜

下星期就係冬至喇~唔知大家係咪都會返屋企團圓呢?大家又知唔知冬至點解要食湯圓呢?

Celebrating the Sun's Return 冬至團圓夜

The time of long, cold nights is almost over. Winter solstice*, which falls between December 20 and 23, is here. After the solstice, the days grow longer, so this day is considered a time of length. Does less sun mean less fun? No way! Many cultures created interesting rituals* for this long night. In Taiwan, people eat tangyuan*, and some stick it on doors and windows as a charm*. There’s a touching story behind this custom. 



One bitter winter, a homeless couple and their daughter wandered* into town. The mother became sick and died. To pay for the burials*, the father reluctantly* sold his daughter to a rich family. As he was leaving, he gave a glutinous rice ball* to the girl. “You eat it, Father,” she insisted. Breaking the rice ball into two pieces, the man said, “We’ll share this now and have another when we find each other again.” The daughter stuck tangyuan on the door every winter solstice, hoping her father would find her. Over time, people began eating tangyuan to signify* reunion*. The two words even sound alike in Mandarin.


(extracted from Live 互動英語12月號 - Celebrating the Sun's Return)Vocab

ulary
Vocabulary

1. Winter solstice (n.)
Solstice 指節氣中的「至」，即一年中白天最長或最短的一天。Winter solstice 指「冬至」，為白天最短的一天。
2. rituals (n.)a set of fixed actions and sometimes words performed regularly, especially as part of a ceremony 慣例;儀式
e.g. Coffee and the newspaper are part of my morning ritual.

3. tangyuan (n.)
為「湯圓」的英語拼音，也可說成"glutinous rice ball"，指「糯米球」。

4. charm (n.)
an object or saying which is thought to have magical powers, such as the ability to bring good luck  護身符
e.g. He keeps a rabbit's paw as a lucky/good luck charm.

5. wander (v.)to walk around slowly in a relaxed way or without any clear purpose or direction 徘徊
e.g. We spent the morning wandering around the old part of the city.

6. burial (n.)the act of putting a dead body into the ground, or the ceremony connected with this 葬禮
7. reluctantly (adv.) 勉強地; 不情願地
reluctant [+ to infinitive]= not willing to do something and therefore slow to do it 勉強
e.g.  I was having such a good time I was reluctant to leave.

8. glutinous rice ball
= tangyuan
9. signifyto be a sign of something; to mean 象徵; 代表
e.g. Nobody really knows what the marks on the ancient stones signify.
10. reunionV[C] a social event for a group of people who have not seen each other for a long time 團圓
e.g. We're having a family reunion next week.oc

By Kay

References:
Live 互動英語12月號
Photo from www.flickr.com/photos/yufang920/3125182818/
Explanation from http://dictionary.cambridge.org/