腊八节在中国有着悠久的历史，在农历腊月初八这一天做腊八粥、喝腊八粥是全国各地老百姓最传统的习俗。北京最古老的寺院潭柘寺每年都会在腊八这一天进行大规模的施粥活动。据历史记载,潭柘寺自古以来便有施粥给云游僧人以及附近贫苦百姓的活动。腊八施粥不仅是潭柘寺的历史传承，更是将1700余年的传统祝福传达给每一位游客。

这个独具中国特色传统节日，让我们一起看看这条关于潭柘寺腊八节施粥活动的新闻，来学习一下关于腊八节的英语表达！

点击观看北京民众潭柘寺争喝腊八粥视频

新闻原文

Wednesday is the traditional Chinese “Laba Festival", celebrated on the 8th day of the last month of the Chinese lunar calendar. The event reminds people that the Spring Festival is just around the corner and is a day when eating porridge is not to be taken lightly.

The oldest temple in Beijing is embracing tradition by handing out free porridge. And despite the freezing temperature, crowds of people are swarming in, eager to sample the fare.

知识锦囊

Laba Festival：腊八，即农历十二月初八，古人有祭祀祖先和神灵、祈求丰收吉祥的传统，一些地区有喝腊八粥的习俗。相传这一天还是佛祖释迦牟尼成道之日，称为“法宝节”，是佛教盛大的节日之一。

the 8th day of the last month of the Chinese lunar calendar：阴历腊月初八

hand out the free porridge：施粥

swarm in：指人们蜂拥而入

This porridge looks delicious. In China, it’s also called “eight-treasure porridge” as its ingredients include a nutritious mix of glutinous rice, red beans and peanuts. Before it gets cold, let me have a try.

The traditional eight-treasure porridge has developed over the ages. The kind served here at the temple usually combines 13 different ingredients, based on the auspicious number in Buddhism. However, three more are suggested by Mr. Shen, a scholar of vegetarian culture from Taiwan.

知识锦囊

eight-treasure porridge：腊八粥。

常见腊八粥食材英文表达： glutinous rice 糯米，red beans 红豆，millet 小米，mung 绿豆，peanuts 花生，dried lotus seeds 莲子，dried dates 枣子，almond 杏仁，oat 燕麦，buckwheat 荞麦。

auspicious number in Buddhism：佛教中的幸运数字。

auspicious：adj. 吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的。

"Tanzhe Temple invited me to consult them on vegetarian cooking. We add oats, wheat and buckwheat to make a healthier porridge, so followers will get more nutrition from it," scholar Shen Songmao said.

While some believe Laba porridge is related to sacrificial rituals held on this day by our ancestors, the temples have different versions. They say that enlightened Sakyamuni became Buddha on the eighth day of the last lunar month, or "Laba" in Chinese. Earlier, however, a shepherdess had saved him from fatigue and hunger with a bowl of porridge. As time went by, the two celebrations were combined.

知识锦囊

sacrificial rituals：祭祀仪式。

Sakyamuni：释迦牟尼。古印度宗教家，佛教的创立者。

fatigue and hunger：饥困交加。

fatigue：n. / vi. 疲劳，劳累。

"I am a Buddhist. This morning I got up at five thirty and drove over 30 kilometers to get here. Besides being a tradition, it’s also a time to pray for blessings for family and friends."

However, most people crowding into the temple are not Buddhists, but simply visitors. They have travelled to the western suburbs of Beijing to take in the nice scenery, and of course the porridge.

"Three of my family members and my neighbors came together this morning. I want my son to experience the traditional celebration here. It’s also a blessing for the coming new year."

According to the organizer, they have been preparing for this event for a month. It has taken 10 hours to just to cook the porridge, all the ingredients donated by Buddhist followers.

知识锦囊

pray for blessings：祈福。

Buddhist follower：佛教信徒。

"We have cooked almost 30 big barrels of porridge for this Laba festival, not only for visitors. After this event here, we will take porridge to elderly people at nursing homes and give them blessings for the coming year," said Shao Xiguo, manager of Tanzhe Temple Admin Office.

A bowl of porridge stands for the benevolence of giving. And although it’s a thousand years old, this Chinese tradition is still going strong, bringing happiness in the form of tasty hot porridge during the chilly winter season.

知识锦囊

nursing home：养老院

benevolence：n. 慈悲，善举，捐献

chilly winter: 寒冬

寒冷的表达不只有cold，文章第一段还出现了freezing，除此之外，nippy（冷飕飕的）和frigid（极寒的、寒冷的）可以用来表达不同程度的寒冷。

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