Capodanno cinese, inizia l’Anno del Drago

Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon begins

Il 10 febbraio è la Festa di Primavera, cioè il Capodanno cinese.

È la festa tradizionale più importante delľanno in Cina, come il Natale in Italia.

Secondo la tradizione cinese, il 10 febbraio finisce l’ anno del Coniglio e inizia l’ anno del Drago.

questa festa non c’è solo in Cina, ma anche in molti paesi dell’Asia, per esempio in Corea, Mongolia, Vietnam e Giappone.

I cinesi di tutto il mondo passano questa festa in famiglia, per mangiare insieme il tradizionale cenone.

Keywords

il capodanno: New Year’s Eve

il coniglio: rabbit

il drago: dragon

tradizionale: traditional

il cenone: big dinner

Grammar

Il suffisso accrescitivo “-one”
Augmentative suffix “-one”

“il cenone”
(big dinner)

In Italian, some very peculiar suffixes are used to modify other words descriptively or emotionally.
One of the most common suffixes is the augmentative -one/a. It can modify a noun, a verb, or an adjective, and it’s used to describe something bigger than usual:

ragazza > ragazzona (girl > big girl)
libro > librone (book > big book)
mangiare > mangione/a ( to eat > big eater, glutton)

It can be used also to convey irony or exaggeration:
“Sei un chiacchierone” (You are a chatterbox)
“Gli italiani sono mammoni” (Italians are mommy’s boys)

Some other times, it can express affection:
“Bacioni!” (Big kisses)
“Loro sono i miei amic
oni!” (They are my good friends!)

However, be cautious, as this suffix can’t be applied to all words, as it can sometimes entirely change the word’s meaning. Hence, when it comes to suffixes, practice is fundamental!

Translation

February 10th is the Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year.

It is the most important traditional festival of the year in China, similar to Christmas in Italy.

According to Chinese tradition, February 10th marks the end of the Year of the Rabbit and the beginning of the Year of the Dragon.

This festival is not only celebrated in China but also in many countries across Asia, such as Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Japan.

Chinese people all over the world spend this festival with their families, gathering together to enjoy the traditional New Year’s Eve dinner.

Quiz

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