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去年春节前夕，我随国内一个旅游团去埃及。旅游团五十多名成员，有骄傲之人，忧郁之人，天真之人，狡猾之人，俨然一个“小社会”了。“小社会”游走他乡，连听带看，满脑子新鲜事，自然有无穷话题，但经常谈起的却是故国春节，而且语多抱怨—— 

Last year, just before the Chinese New Year – the Spring Festival – I visited Egypt with a tourist group of more than 50 people. We were actually a small “society”, composed of different personality types: the self-important, the melancholy, the naïve and the crafty. Travelling across the alien land, we saw and heard many new things, which gave us an infinite array of conversation topics, but stubbornly the Spring Festival still remained a talking point. And we were full of complaints about it:

有什么呀？不就是吃喝拜年放鞭炮嘛。吃喝没劲，鱼啊肉啊，啤的白的，过不过年都一样。还不如恢复票证呢。中国人报喜不报忧的毛病都是拜年拜出来的。七大姑八大姨的孩子呼呼往上冲，分浮财似的。现在这伙新新人类智商忒高，你给他压岁钱他不道谢，他先对着光看，看见暗藏的伟人头了，这才咕咚给你磕个头。

拎个果匣子看老丈母娘的年代一去不复返了……

抱怨完了又庆幸，这回好了，总算躲出来了。眼不见，心不烦。过去杨白劳躲地主，现在我们躲春节。春节啊春节，白白了您哪，您再有能耐，还能追到埃及来？

“What’s good about it? It’s all about eating, guzzling, paying visits and setting off fire-crackers.”

“It is no more than feasting: fish, meat, beer and liquor, which we have had enough of on ordinary days. Better to go back to the time when foods were rationed.”

“When paying New Year visits, we only talk about the good news, as if the world is so nice. And that only boosts the unfortunate practice of covering up the bad news.”

“Kids nowadays are very smart creatures. They surround you, grab the gift money, and won’t utter a ‘thank you’ until they hold the notes up against the light and make sure there’s a watermark.”

“You can no longer please your mother-in-law with a fruit package in hand, that’s too trifling a gift for the occasion these days.”

After this spasm of grumbling, we turned to congratulate ourselves: “Now we’re free from the hustle and bustle of the Spring Festival. Out of sight, out of mind. Like debtors trying to avoid their creditors, we’ve fled the Chinese festive tradition. Bye-bye, Spring Festival! I bet you can’t follow us all the way to Egypt.”

埃及的确是躲年的好地方，金字塔光溜溜的，狮身人面像静悄悄的，一点“年气”看不出来。躲年的中国人无牵无挂，悠哉游哉。有时一高兴，还踩着异邦鼓点跳舞，或者穿了阿拉伯袍子，跟当地老乡手挽手，照一张水乳交融、乐不思蜀的纪念像。

但是，随着年关的临近，好像有谁在远方遥控，全团男女老少的情绪逐渐起了变化。 

Indeed, Egypt provides us with a safe haven where we Chinese could forget about the Spring Festival and find peace of mind. The pyramids looked austere, the Sphinx stood in silence, nowhere could you sense a trace of the festive atmosphere at home. At the height of your enthusiasm, you could dance to the drumbeats of the alien land, or, changing into an Arabic robe, you could take a picture hand in hand with a native, as a souvenir of friendship as well as a proof that you’d left behind you all about your hometown.

年三十清晨，有人闷闷不乐，认为早餐难吃。

那天上午，参观萨拉丁古堡和阿里清真寺。在这两个天下闻名的历史胜地，中国人步履匆匆，显得有些焦躁，有些心不在焉。

参观完了，旅游大巴徐徐往回返。

开罗城里楼是楼，树是树，一切如往日般正常。忽然，车上有人大叫：“停车！”大胡子司机一怔，赶紧刹闸。

全体中国人蜂拥而下，三步并作两步，钻进一座建筑物。

However, as the Spring Festival approached, and as if controlled by a remote hand, a hidden sentiment began to bubble up among the tourists, men and women, young or old.

On the morning before the Festival some were found in low spirits, complaining about the unpalatable breakfast.

Later that morning we visited the Citadel of Saladin and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. Both are world-renowned historic sites, yet the Chinese tourists hurried through them absent-mindedly, as if harassed by some remote concern.

Afterwards, we set out on our way back to the hotel.

The bus drove slowly into the city of Cairo. The buildings and the trees looked every bit the same as usual. “Stop here!” someone suddenly shouted. Startled, the heavily bearded driver slammed on the brakes.

The Chinese swarmed off and strode into a building.

街上熙来攘往的埃及人全愣了。黑衣巡警见状，迅速围拢过来。

建筑物是电信局，算是要害部门，但中国人没干别的，只是争先恐后掏腰包，买一张薄薄的电话卡。大厅里，一长排电话间随即爆满。手脚慢些的，又涌到门外。门外有十多个电话亭，转眼功夫被中国人统统抢占。

埃及警民越发迷惑不解，这是怎么了？没听说世界上有什么大事啊？

谁说没有大事？你们这边才是中午，我们那边已经到了晚上，不是一般的晚上，是除夕夜！阖家团聚的时候。十几亿口子人一起吃年夜饭，不是世界大事是什么？

The pedestrians were dumbfounded. The policemen in black uniforms closed in.

The building was the telecommunication service center, vital to national security, as it were. But the Chinese did nothing illegal but taking out money from their purses and paying for a small telephone card. Instantly, the telephone booths in the hall were filled. The latecomers flocked out into the street, where some dozen telephone kiosks were soon taken up by Chinese callers.

The Egyptians were all the more confused: What has happened? Haven’t heard there’s any big event in the world!

Who says there isn’t a big event? Noon here is evening in China, and not an ordinary evening at that. This is New Year’s Eve on the Chinese calendar, a time for family reunion. Just think of it, more than one billion people are having their New Year dinner at the same time! Isn’t this a world event?

电话一个个接通，喂喂声四起，拜年，祝福，询问做了什么饭菜，放没放鞭炮，包没包饺子，煤气足不足，天冷不冷……她给我打电话没有？电视晚会快开始了吧？谁当主持人？外婆身体不好，不一定看完。爹要少喝酒，多吃菜。囡囡别淘气，给你买好东西了。这边不行，连个春联都看不见……大家的话语噌噌往中国飞，没有一句是要紧话，也没有一句不是要紧话。

With lines connected one after another, there arose a series of hellos, happy New Years and blessings of the kind.

“What’s on the menu tonight? Did you set off fireworks? Are you making dumplings? Does the gas stove work well? Is it cold at home?”

“Did she call me?”

“Has the New Year Gala begun? Who are the anchors?”

“Is granny well? Ask her not to sit up too late watching TV.”

“Ask dad not to drink too much, and to eat more vegetables.”

“Be nice, my child. I’ve bought you something nice.”

“It’s rather dull here. Not even a single New Year decoration is in sight.” 

Words were thus being transmitted to China, none was urgent, yet each carried with its messages important to the dear ones.

那一刻，焦躁之人安稳了，狡猾之人诚恳了，忧郁之人欢乐了，欢乐之人更欢乐了。全体躲年者喊叫着，喃喃着，一起向“年”迎上去。天特别蓝，太阳特别亮，老天爷——分工负责中国的那个老天爷，他老人家一定在往埃及这边看。

At the moment of the year, the hot-tempered calmed down, the crafty became sincere, the melancholy cheered up and the happy ones were even happier. The New Year dodgers, shouting or murmuring into phones, were now ironically caught up in ringing in the Chinese New Year. The sky was azure blue, the sun shone brightly. God – or at least the one in charge of Chinese affairs – was surely focusing his gaze upon this part of the world.

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