放鞭炮 Setting off Firecrackers

The firecracker is a unique product in China. In ancient China, the sound of burning bamboo tubes was used to scare away wild animals and evil spirits. With the invention of the gunpowder, “firecracker” is also called “鞭炮biānpào” (“炮” in Chinese means gun) and used to foster a joyful atmosphere. The first thing every Chinese household does is to set off firecrackers and fireworks, which are meant to bid farewell to the old year and usher in the new. In the past few years, such an activity was completely or partially forbidden in big cities including Beijing due to fire and personal casualty caused by burning firecrackers. However, some Chinese thought that a Spring Festival without firecrackers was not lively enough and they burned firecrackers by stealth. So in recent years, the ban was canceled again. This shows that burning firecrackers is a very important activity during the Spring Festival.

          在中国爆竹是一件特殊的产品。在中国古代，燃烧竹管的声音被用来吓走动物和恶鬼。随着火药的发明，爆竹也被称作鞭炮，用来营造欢乐的气氛。在中国每家每户第一件事要做的就是放烟花爆竹，因为这意味着告别旧年迎接新年。在过去的几年中，由于燃烧爆竹所引起的火灾和个人伤害在一些包括北京的大城市已经完全或者部分禁止放鞭炮了。然而有些中国人认为没有烟花的春节不够热闹和生气勃勃因此他们偷偷地放鞭炮。因此在近几年，再次取消了这个禁令。这表明了在春节期间放鞭炮是非常重要的活动。