"In Honduras we eat grapes, or I should say, we swallow the grapes whole without spitting out the skins or seeds as a way of celebrating the New Year," recalls Edwin, who has been in Taiwan for almost three years. "Last year the first question I asked when I called my family was, `Did you have the grapes yet?'"
「在宏都拉斯過新年一定要吃葡萄，不僅不能吐葡萄皮，還得連皮帶仔一起吞下去。」來台灣快三年的宏都拉斯人愛德文說：「去年新年我打電話回家，第一句就問：你們吃葡萄了沒？」
It's a traditional ritual on this special occasion that after the bell rings at midnight, each family member gets 12 grapes, which represent the 12 months of the next year. Taking turns by month, continuing on to December, each family member proclaims his or her wish for one month, as the rest of the family toasts him or her by eating whole grapes. "I will perform this traditional ritual, no matter where I go, till the last day of my life," Edwin says.
PHOTO COURTESY OF EDWIN
他說，宏都拉斯跨年有一個特別的傳統，十二點鐘聲過後，每個家人要分別拿十二顆葡萄以代表新年十二個月，在每個人輪流拿起一顆葡萄為自己明年想成就的事許願時，其他家人也跟著拿一顆葡萄致敬，連皮帶仔吃，共作十二次。愛德文說：「這項傳統一輩子都要跟著他。」
On one New Year's Eve in Taiwan, Edwin couldn't find any grapes in the middle of the night. Determined and eager as he was to perform the ritual with his friends, he had no choice but to buy grape gummies from 7-Eleven as a substitute. Edwin explains, "We use grapes because there is a story in the Bible in which Jesus turns water into wine at the request of his mother. Grapes have therefore become the symbol of that miracle."
有一年在台灣跨年，半夜緊急找不到葡萄，他只好衝去7-11買葡萄軟糖充數，再怎麼樣也要請朋友一起吃葡萄許願。愛德文說：「葡萄其實是有典故的，聖經上有段故事，耶穌應母親的要求將水變為葡萄酒宴客，葡萄就象徵著神蹟奇事。」
PHOTOS COURTESY OF EDWIN
Chinese people keep awake on the eve of Chinese New Year to bless their parents with longer life; Hondurans keep awake out of the belief that if one begins a year by sleeping, he or she will miss out on good opportunities in the next year by sleeping too much. "That's why when it's close to midnight, my mother usually patrols every room to make sure everyone is awake. Whoever is sleeping has to be woken up. Then everybody gives each other a hug. But it's not just any hug, it's a three-minute hug," says Edwin.
中國人在除夕守歲是為祈求雙親長壽，而宏都拉斯人新年前夕不敢闔眼的原因，是他們相信，若一年初始於睡夢中，來年可能會因貪睡而錯失良機。愛德文說：「這實在太重要了，所以快到午夜時，我媽通常會緊張地巡視各房間，問『每個人都醒著嗎？』如果有人還在睡，一定要把他叫醒。」然後每個家人給彼此一個大擁抱，他笑說：「通常這一抱都得抱上三分鐘。」
Although he hasn't been able to visit his family on New Year's Eve since he has been in Taiwan, Edwin says that Taiwanese hospitality can often reduce his homesickness. He spent his first Chinese New Year's Eve without any friends or relatives. All alone, he climbed up to the roof of his apartment and looked from afar at the light inside every window. His neighbor saw him, came up to him, patted him on the shoulder and gave him a red envelope, which made him feel full of warmth and comfort. "That was when I decided to stay in Taiwan," he adds. He was invited to have dinner, play mahjong and set off fireworks during Chinese New Year's Eve in the following years. "Taiwan is like my home away from home," he says and smiles.
雖然來台灣這幾年都無法回國跟家人相聚，熱情好客的台灣人時常能讓離鄉背井的他感受到家人的溫暖。他說，第一年剛來台灣過年，舉目無親，獨自一人登上公寓頂樓遠望每扇窗戶內的燈火，鄰居見他孑然一身，便拍拍他的肩膀，遞上紅包聊表心意，讓他倍感溫馨，他說：「就是那個紅包讓我決定留在台灣。」他之後有機會到朋友家吃年夜飯、打麻將、放煙火，這個來自宏都拉斯熱情的大男孩說：「台灣真像我第二個家。」
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