美文选刊｜日本的礼物文化（下）

The Culture of Gift Giving in Japan (II)

日本的礼物文化（下）

文/彼得·范布伦

译/蒋威

By Peter Van Buren

Standard Gift Situations

常见赠礼场合

Here are several gift giving occasions in Japan and a guide to the proper etiquettes and mannerisms for each of them.

以下是几个日本常见的赠礼场合以及各场合下的礼仪和行为规范指南。

1

Omiyage

纪念品

If you take a trip while living in Japan, say, visiting Kyoto over a long weekend, you are expected to bring back to your colleagues, staff, friends, neighbors and the like omiyage, small souvenirs.

比如你在日本居住期间去京都过了个长周末，回来时就得给同事、员工、朋友和邻居等人带点“お土産”（小纪念品）。

In Japan, each prefecture has its very own local product that can be purchased as an omiyage present. Omiyage could be an edible or collectible item such as a traditional or local hand craft. The purpose is to bring back an item that is only available at the place that you travelled to or is specific to that place. Hopefully by giving the item, the recipient of the omiyage will have the opportunity to share an authentic experience from your trip.

日本各县都有自己的土特产，可当作纪念品买来送人。纪念品可以是食品，也可以是具有收藏价值的传统或地方手工艺品。购买纪念品的目的在于，把旅游地独有或有代表性的东西带回去。通过赠送纪念品，收礼人有望从你的旅行中获得一种真实的体验。

2

Ochugen and Oseibo

中元岁暮礼

Twice a year, in June and December, it is common for co-workers, friends, and relatives to exchange gifts. The unofficial gifting holidays are called Ochugen and Oseibo.

在日本，每年的六月和十二月，同事、朋友和亲戚间通常会互赠礼物。这两个非官方的赠礼节日就叫作中元和岁暮。

Ochugen falls around the 15th of July. It originated as an offering to families who had a death in the first half of the year and still takes place two weeks before Obon, the Japanese holiday for honoring the dead. Nowadays, gifts are given as a gesture of gratitude to the people who are close to them. Bosses, colleagues, parents and relatives are common recipients. Edible products can be considered as a great Ochugen. In general, the popular products that have been selected as the Ochugen are produced by the local factory or local production agency and can be delivered directly from the factory to the recipient of the Ochugen. The price for Ochugen might vary from a minimum of 2000¥ to 5000¥ and can go higher.

中元节（お中元）在每年的7月15日左右，如今仍在盂兰盆节的前两周举行。盂兰盆节是一种祭拜逝者的日本节日。起初，中元礼是一种送给上半年丧亲的家庭的祭品。现如今，中元礼则用于向亲近的人表示感谢，赠送对象通常包括老板、同事、父母和亲戚。食品是一种不错的中元礼。一般来说，广受喜爱的中元礼都是本地工厂或产品代理商生产的，可直接从厂家寄到收礼人手中。中元礼的价格从最低的2000日元到5000日元不等，也可以再高一点。

If an Ochugen is considered as a mid-year tradition, then the Oseibo is the year-end gift-giving tradition. The Oseibo gift giving period begins from 20th of December every year. Any edible product or beverage maybe used for an Oseibo, the only difference will be the Noshi. The characters of Oseibo in Kanji should be written at the top section of the Noshi that is being used for an Oseibo. Oseibo is usually given to people at the work place, and any other person who has had a significant influence for taking care of you during the year.

如果说中元是年中赠礼传统的话，那么岁暮便是年末赠礼传统了。岁暮的赠礼日期从每年的12月20日开始。任何食品或饮品都可以作岁暮礼，唯一的区别就是礼签。日文“お歳暮”应写在礼签的顶部。岁暮礼通常送给同事或一年之中悉心关照你的任何其他人。

Young people are abandoning the traditions of Ochugen and Oseibo in droves, so consider the age of the person you are considering sending things to.

如今，大量年轻人正在丢掉中元岁暮赠送礼物的传统，所以送礼物前得考虑一下对方的年纪。

3

Otoshidama

压岁钱

At the beginning of a newyear starting from the 1st until the 3rd of January, all adults in Japan will give a certain amount of money to the children or their younger ones as a gift. This gift-giving tradition is called Otoshidama, and is usually given whenever the elders visit friends or relatives’ houses with children. It should be noted here that giving coin is strictly unacceptable, only bank notes are allowed for Otoshidama. The bank note should be folded three times and then put it inside a special Otoshidama envelope that come in a wide variety of colourful and cute pictures.

每年的1月1日至1月3日，所有日本成年人都会给小辈一些钱作为礼物。这种礼物传统就叫作“お年玉”（给压岁钱）。通常情况下，无论什么时候，只要大人拜访有小孩的朋友或亲戚，都会给压岁钱。这里需要注意的是，千万不能给硬币，压岁钱只能是纸币。压岁钱要折三次，然后放在一个专门的压岁钱信封里，信封上印有各式色彩鲜艳、漂亮可爱的图案。

The minimum amount of money for Otoshidama should be 1000¥. It also depends on the age of the recipient, the eldest child generally receives the highest amount of money but nowadays all the children get the same amount of money for Otoshidama to avoid any issues between siblings. According to Kumon children research institute in Japan, the elementary school students in Japan could collect an average of up to 5000¥ while the junior high students and high school students could collect an average of 10000¥!!

压岁钱最少得有1000日元，但也取决于收礼人的年纪。年纪最大的小孩通常收到的钱也最多，但现如今，所有小孩收到的压岁钱都一样多，以避免兄弟姐妹间发生不快。据日本公文式儿童研究所称，日本小学生平均每年的压岁钱多达5000日元，而初中生和高中生则多达10000日元！！

Gifts to Avoid

赠礼禁忌

Lilies, lotus blossoms, and camellias are associated with funerals. White flowers of any kind are gifts to be avoided. There is also a superstition that potted plants encourage sickness.

百合花、莲花和茶花都与葬礼有关。任何品种的白色花都是赠礼禁忌。还有一种迷信称，送盆栽植物会让人得病。

Giving four or nine of anything is considered unlucky. This superstition seems to be less important nowadays.

任何跟“四”或“九”有关的礼物都被认为不吉利。但如今这种迷信似乎不那么重要了。

Red Christmas cards should be avoided, since funeral notices are customarily printed in this color.

应避免送红色的圣诞贺卡，因为按照日本习俗，讣告通常印在这种颜色的纸上。

I am not saying that every single of us should follow all the rules and complex etiquette of the gift giving tradition in Japan. Your fellow Japanese friends might not really take it seriously but they might be impressed with your efforts to respect their culture and they will most likely appreciate your present even more. 

我并不是说我们每个人都要遵守日本赠礼传统中的所有规则和繁琐的礼仪规矩。你的日本朋友可能真的不在乎这些，但如果你能尊重他们的文化，可能会让他们铭记在心，他们也会更加珍惜你送的礼物。 

（译者曾获第五届“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛二等奖）

（选自《英语世界》2017年第11期）

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