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?Expat's Journal ?
激情澎湃的賽龍舟
Exciting Dragon Boat Race
2008年是我在中山的第一年，每一天都是對食物或傳統(tǒng)活動的全新發(fā)現，由于我們住的地方靠近河邊，我經常看到龍舟船員在附近劃船，但這似乎不特定在一年中的某個時間或某個日期。讓我感到困惑的是，端午節(jié)的中文拼音中，并沒有提到龍或船。節(jié)日背后的故事也不盡相同，但當中最著名的一個是：戰(zhàn)國時期有一位著名詩人叫屈原，他是一個充滿激情的愛國者，卻未能拯救自己的國家。在農歷五月初五，他在絕望之下跳進了汨羅江自盡。人們十分悲傷，試圖把食物扔進河里，以免他的尸體被魚吃掉。他們還試圖用龍首船攪動河水，把魚嚇跑。
My first year in Zhongshan, 2008 is a bit of a blur of numerous confusing occasions and festivals that I had never encountered or heard of before coming to China. Everyday felt like a new discovery of food or some traditional event. As we live near the river, I often would see crews of dragon boats rowing up and down, but it didn’t seem exclusively to be one time of year or one particular date. The name in Chinese is Duan Wu Jie (pinyin) which always confused me because it doesn’t mention dragons or boats. ?The stories behind the festival are also varied, but probably the most famous one goes like this: There was a famous poet called Qu Yuan during the “Warring States” Period. He was a passionate defender of his State, however he was unable to save it. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, in a fit of despair he threw himself into the MiLuo river. The people were saddened by this and attempted to save his body from being eaten by the fish, by throwing food into the river. They also tried scaring the fish away with dragon headed boats, churning up the water.
就個人而言，我覺得糯米飯團（粽子）有點油膩，大熱天時很難下咽。所以把它們扔進河里對我來說是個不錯的主意！希望這樣還能把魚養(yǎng)肥，好讓我日后可以釣魚！
Personally, I find the sticky rice parcels a bit too stodgy and difficult to eat on a hot day, so throwing them into the river sounds pretty good to me! Hopefully it fattens up the fish for me to catch at a later date too!
拋開這些題外話，端午節(jié)是中國四大節(jié)日之一（與春節(jié)、清明節(jié)和中秋節(jié)并列）。2021年，我有幸參與當地一支龍舟隊的訓練。在家鄉(xiāng)新西蘭，我一直很喜歡劃船，所以這樣的機會讓我感到很興奮。
But levity aside, Dragonboat Festival is considered one of the four major festivals of China (alongside Spring Festival, Tomb Sweeping Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival). In 2021 I had the opportunity to join the practice of one of our local dragon boat crews. I have always enjoyed rowing in my native New Zealand and was excited to give it a try here.
不幸的是，由于多年的社交足球運動，我的背部已大不如前，我無法與隊伍一同競渡。參加不用比賽的扒龍舟對我來說是完美的選擇。我喜歡隊伍中的友情，以及他們在劃船時互相開玩笑和打趣。沒有什么比一句善意的挖苦或恭維更能激勵你的隊友為團隊付出更多的努力！
Unfortunately, due to many years of social football, my back isn’t what it used to be and I would be unable to compete with the crews, so a chance to join in without competition was perfect for me. I enjoyed the social camaraderie of experience and the banter and jokes bandied about amongst the crew as they rowed. Nothing like a good backhanded compliment to motivate your buddies to give more effort for the team!
這段經歷讓我想起了下班后和朋友們一起踢足球的日子。我們聚集一起，在投入緊張的比賽之前進行隨意的閑聊。我們?yōu)榱松磉叺娜硕?，不敢成為因為缺乏努力而讓隊友失望的人。這事關你的自尊心，尤其是在鄰近的村莊之間，你不會想在輸掉比賽的第二天上班時面對他們！
The experience among the crew very much reminded me of my days playing football after work with friends. One by one we would assemble and make casual chit chat before settling down to the serious work of the sport. Doing it for the person next to you, not daring to be the one who lacks effort and lets down your teammates. There is a lot of pride at stake, especially amongst the neighbouring villages. You don’t want to have to face them at work the next day having lost on the water!
這種精神顯然也感染了那些在喧鬧的河岸上大聲為你加油的親朋好友與鄰居?，F在，當我在場邊為隊伍加油時，我與隊伍有了更深的連接，聲音也更有氣勢。今年的端午節(jié)如期而至，請側耳聆聽并盡可能加入這歡呼聲中吧。你的聲音將為這盛大的節(jié)日增添精氣神。
The spirit that arises from this is palpable and extends to those friends, family and neighbours cheering you on so boisterously from the riverbank. ?Now when I cheer on the crews from the sidelines, I have a more personal connection and an extra vigour in my voice to push my team on to victory. So when the Dragonboat Festival rolls around this year, listen carefully and join in the chants as best you can. Your voice will contribute to the atmosphere and spirit of the great occasion.
【出品】ZICC中山市海外傳播中心 中山英文網
【統(tǒng)籌】陳慧 劉捷
【編導】廖薇 潘曉佳
【視頻制作】廖嘉麗 胡超超 林嘉明
【翻譯】廖薇 李靖 實習生 汪羽涵
【文字/英文校對】? Donald Kepple
【素材來源】中山市海外傳播中心
編輯? ?李靖? 二審? 廖薇? 三審? 陳慧
