语音讲解: (点击右键“另存为”可下载语音)
Peter, an expatriate and a recent arrival to China, calls up his friend Tai-li for a chat.
P:You know, Tai-li, with all this heat, we ought to take an excursion to the sea. Let's?
T:Are you mad? You won't catch me going swimming this month! It's Ghost Month, you know.
P:Ghost Month? That sounds cool! Is it anything like Halloween?
T:Well, yes and no. It's a celebration for the departed spirits of the underworld. But we don't dress up as pirates or vampires.
P:I guess you don't collect candy in pillowcases, either. So what do you do?
T:Tell you what: I'll take you to the Ghost Festival and you can see for yourself.
P:Oh, come on! Don't make me hold my breath. What's the deal ?
T:Well, on the fifteenth day of the seventh moon, besides making sacrifices, lighting incense, and burning fake paper money ?
P:Wait a sec ... Sacrifices? You mean, like slaughtering a lamb and laying it on an altar?
T:No, nothing quite so Old Testament. We offer food and wine to the famished ghosts that come up to earth from hell. People also release water lanterns to guide water spirits.
P:Ooh! That sounds spooky. Guide me to!
|