The Lunar New Year Festival had ended, but Li still wished for more time to celebrate. She hadn’t seen her grandparents in a year, and they hadn’t arrived before the festival. If only they had come earlier, they could have performed the dragon dance with the family. Many guests had attended the ceremony, and children received red envelopes filled with lucky money. Some young people didn’t follow the traditional customs anymore, but Li’s family still did. "Do you remember how we used to celebrate?" she asked her brother. "We would dance under the cherry blossoms in spring." He sighed. "I wish we could go back to those days." Their parents had given them new clothes for the festival, but the gatherings felt shorter this year. Had they forgotten the old ways? The tea ceremony was performed quickly, and the dragon performance wasn’t as lively as last year. If they didn’t keep these customs alive, would they disappear? Li hoped not. She would rather celebrate properly next time. "We must host our relatives next year," she said. "Otherwise, the traditions will be lost." Her brother nodded. "If only we had more time."
Missed Traditions
English
Will had always admired the students who practiced traditional arts. If only he hadn't forgotten to join the calligraphy class last year, he might have mastered it by now. The peaceful zen garden was beautiful in cherry blossom season, and he wished he had worn a proper kimono for the festival. They must have seen him—he had missed the hanbok exhibition the previous month. By the time the ceremony ended, he realized he should have trained more. She had maintained her kimono with care, and they appreciated her disciplined practice. Had he known the festival would end so soon, he would have arrived earlier. The martial arts students were admired for their dedication. If he had practiced daily, he could have performed better. Would they have approved of his sushi at the event? He can't have been the only one who missed the blossoms in full bloom. By next fall, he will have trained for hours. We admired the way she maintained tradition. He should have joined the class before the season changed. If only he had taken proper care, he might have worn the kimono with pride. Would you rather see the cherry blossoms or the disciplined arts? They won't have another festival until next year.
Regret And Good Fortune
English
She had visited a Buddhist temple last week. The sunset was beautiful, and incense filled the air. She wished she had explored Asia more before now. The festival had just ended, but the dim lanterns still glowed. Guests used chopsticks for dinner—she hadn’t mastered them yet. Had she practiced more, she could have eaten sushi without dropping it. If only she had attended the cooking class, she would have learned to prepare noodles.
By the time the party started, tourists had already left. They must have ignored the fortune cookies served at the table. Would he have stayed longer if the temple hadn’t closed? She asked if they would visit again next year. He told her, "We should have come earlier." She would rather have tried the cookies than the chopsticks.
Now, she read the message inside her cookie: "You will have good fortune." If she had known, she might have taken more. The child beside her laughed—he had mastered chopsticks faster than she had.
Sample flashcards 20
የጨረቃ አዲስ ዓመት→the lunar new year
የጨረቃ አዲስ ዓመት ማክበር→to celebrate the lunar new year
የጨረቃ አዲስ ዓመትን ከቤተሰብ ስብሰባዎች ጋር እናከብራለን።→We celebrate the Lunar New Year with family gatherings.
�ሽ አንበሳ ዳንስ→the dragon dance
በፌስቲቫሉ ጊዜ የዋልያ ዳንስ �የታዩ ነው?→Have you ever seen a dragon dance during the festival?
ባለፈው ዓመት የዋልያ ዳንስ አሳያ አልተገኙም።→They didn't attend the dragon dance performance last year.
ቀይ ፖስታዎች→the red envelopes
ቀይ ፖስታዎች መስጠት→to give red envelopes
ወላጆች በየጨረቃ አዲስ ዓመት ጊዜ ለልጆች ቀይ ፖስታዎች ይሰጣሉ።→Parents usually give red envelopes to children during the Lunar New Year.
በዚህ ዓመት አያቶችህ ቀይ ፖስታዎች ሰጥተውሃል?→Did your grandparents give you red envelopes this year?
በዚህ ጊዜ ምንም ቀይ ፖስታ አልተቀበለችም።→She didn't receive any red envelopes this time.
የፀደይ በዓል→the spring festival
የፀደይ በዓል ረዥም ቢሆን ኖሮ።→If only the Spring Festival were longer.
የፀደይ በዓል በፍጥነት እንዳልተጠናቀቀ ብዬ እመኛለሁ።→I wish the Spring Festival hadn't ended so quickly.
ባህላዊ ልማዶች→the traditional customs
ባህላዊ ልማዶችን መከተል→to follow traditional customs
ብዙ ቤተሰቦች በበዓላት ጊዜ ባህላዊ ልማዶችን ይከተላሉ።→Many families still follow traditional customs during holidays.
የአንተ ዘመዶች እነዚህን ልማዶች ይከተላሉ?→Do your relatives follow these customs?
አንዳንድ ወጣቶች እነዚህን ልማዶች ከዚህ በኋላ አይከተሉም።→Some young people don't follow these customs anymore.
የሻይ ሥነ ሥርዓት→the tea ceremony
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