Mark Cohen (Calendar Expert): Zog means “the edge,” mu means “the year,” so it's the edge of the year, when the year turns over. The…it's not a celebration. Zogmu is a time, mainly an accounting time, when you would end up the year's 3)ledgers ….
马克·科恩（历法专家）：Zog的意思是“尽头”，而mu则代表“年”的意思，所以说一年的尽头又是新一年的开始。Zogmu不是庆典。Zogmu是一个时刻，主要是一个用来计算的时刻，你可以结算过去一年的账……
Also 4)unearthed in Mesopotamia were traces of a second ceremony known today as Akitu. It was a week-long festival celebrating the renewal of the city and its continued prosperity. The festival has worked its way into public imagination as the original New Year's celebration. But, unlike New Year of today, Akitu occurred twice a year, usually around the time of both the spring and fall 5)equinox, when day and night are equal in length.
在美索不达米亚还发现了另一个庆典的遗迹，这庆典今被称作Akitu。它是一个长达一个星期的庆典，为的是欢庆城市的万象更新和欣欣向荣之貌。公众误以为这个节日就是原始的新年庆祝仪式。然而，Akitu不像现今的新年庆典，它一年举行两次，通常在昼夜的长短刚好一样的春分和秋分时候进行。
But in many cultures, the ancient calendars still set the dates for traditional festivals, and every culture celebrates its new year in a different way. The Chinese have symbolic feasts and colorful festivals; the Jews, a 6)solemn day of prayer; Hindus light up the night in honor of their goddess; Americans celebrate New Years in their own unique ways with lively parties and free-flowing champagne, colorful parades and football games.
但在众多风俗文化中，古代历法仍然把这些日子视作传统的节日，而庆祝新年的方式也形式各异。中国人有具象征意义的聚餐和绚丽多彩的节日；对于犹太人而言那一天就是庄严的祈祷日；而印度人则为了他们的女神而点亮了黑夜；美国人则用其自身独特的方式来庆祝：热闹的派对、源源不断的香槟、五彩缤纷的游行以及目不暇接的足球比赛。
In the mid-1700s New Yorkers borrowed from Chinese tradition and began using fireworks to welcome the new year. Celebrations got so 7)rowdy that in 1773, the 8)legislature outlawed firecrackers, home-made bombs and the firing of personal shotguns to 9)commemorate all future New Years.
18世纪中期，纽约人借鉴中国传统开始使用烟花来庆祝新年。由于1773年的新年庆祝过于喧闹，立法机关下令在以后的新年庆祝活动中禁止爆竹或自制炸弹的燃点以及个人枪支开火。
The 10)Tournament of Roses started on January 1st, 1890, when the members of the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena, California, decorated their carriages with flowers to celebrate the abundance of ripening oranges.
为庆祝橘子大丰收，加利福利亚州帕萨迪娜的峡谷捕猎俱乐部的成员自1890年起于1月1日举行玫瑰装饰大赛，用花卉装饰他们的马车。
It's a time for rebirth, a day to 11)wipe the slate clean and start all over again; a holiday that is as much about the past as it is about looking ahead.
这一天是重生的时候，是忘记过去，重新开始的日子，是一个继往开来的节日。
