“腊八粥”的英文是什么？
图源：IC
那么，你知道“腊八粥”用英语怎么说吗？
腊八节习俗又该如何用英语介绍呢？
“腊八”一般可以直接用拼音“laba”来表示，后面进一步说明这一天是农历十二月初八（the eighth day of the 12th lunar month）即可。
The 12th lunar month in Chinese is called la yue, so the eighth day of this lunar month is la yue chu ba, or laba.
腊八节有喝腊八粥的传统，对应的英文就是laba porridge 或 laba rice porridge，所以也可以简单介绍说今天是the Laba Rice Porridge Festival。
词典中对laba porridge的解释是：
rice porridge with beans, nuts and dried fruit, eaten on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month
其实在英语中，“粥”的说法不止porridge。
你知道各种粥的区别吗？
porridge /'pɔrɪdʒ/
我们在课文里学到的“粥”的基本英文就是porridge。朗文词典对其解释为：soft cereal that is cooked with milk or water，更贴近于我们理解的燕麦粥。
图源：IC
此外，do (one’s) porridge还有“服刑，坐牢”的意思。
He did ten years porridge for armed robbery.
他因持械抢劫被判入狱十年。
gruel /'ɡruəl/
gruel也是粥，不过指“稀粥”，特别是过去穷人或病人吃的一种稀薄的粥：thin oatmeal that was eaten in the past by poor or sick people。
They are fed a few grains of rice boiled into gruel a couple of times a day.
他们每天只吃几次用很少大米煮成的稀饭。
图源：IC
congee /ˈkɑːn.dʒi/
congee一词有些词典并没有收录，剑桥词典对其解释为：a kind of thick Chinese soup made with rice，更好理解的翻译是“大米粥”，即我们中国传统意义上的粥。
Congee is often eaten with fried bread sticks known as youtiao.
大米粥常配油条吃。
图源：IC
以上就是三种粥的区别。
在今天，祭祀、喝腊八粥、腌腊八蒜是腊八的三大习俗。
Three major customs on Laba are ancestor worship, eating Laba rice porridge and making Laba garlic.
图源：IC
一岁之末为“腊”。在我国上古时期，人们把冬季祭祀神灵、祖先称为“大腊”，举行冬祀日子被称为“腊日”。
慢慢的每年农历腊月初八作为“腊日”逐渐被确定下来，成为祈求丰收和吉祥的传统节日。
The worship of ancestors, called "腊" in Chinese, and the sacrifice for the gods, called "蜡", both frequently took place in the 12th month, which led to the traditional name of the month: la yue. And the day of sacrifice is called la ri.
在腊八当天，一定要喝一碗热乎乎的腊八粥（Laba porridge），讨个好彩头。
我国喝腊八粥的历史，已有一千多年。各地腊八粥的花样，一定会让你看花了眼。
图源：IC
最为讲究的会在白米中掺入红枣、莲子、核桃、栗子、杏仁、松仁、桂圆、榛子、葡萄、白果、菱角、青丝、玫瑰、红豆、花生等不下二十种食物。
The main ingredients of the Laba porridge are rice and sticky rice; people also add sugar, red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, longans, hazelnuts, raisins, red beans, peanuts, water caltrops, roseleaf and other various materials to make the porridge special.
人们在腊月初七的晚上，就开始忙碌起来，洗米、泡果、剥皮、去核、精拣然后在半夜时分开始炖煮，一直炖到第二天清晨，腊八粥才算熬好了。
中国华北大部分地区在腊月初八这天有用醋泡蒜的习俗，叫“腊八蒜”（Laba garlic）。
图源：IC
腊八这一天，将剥好的蒜瓣放入干净的坛中，再倒入老醋，密封后腌制数天。制好的腊八蒜通体晶莹碧绿，口感酸辣，别具一番风味。
还有一些“腊八节”相关词汇供参考：
祭祀祖先：ancestor worship
驱邪：exorcize evil
红枣：red dates
高粱：sorghum
腌渍：pickle
愿你平安喜乐，万事“粥”全！
来源：中国日报网 人民网 央视新闻 外研社
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