從古代殷朝漢朝一直到民國，然後到新中國成立，元旦和春節的演變是一個很長的歷史過程。此文簡單的介紹了元旦和春節的含義及由來。
In ancient China, Yuan Dan was not on January 1st, as regulated in the Gregorian calendar. The date of Yuan Dan had been changed many times from the 1st of the 12th lunar month in Yin Dynasty to the 1st of the 1st lunar month in Han Dynasty.
在古代，按公曆來說，元旦不是一月一號這一天。元旦的日期從殷朝臘月初一改到漢朝的正月初一。
In Jin Shu, compiled by Fang Xuanling in the Tang Dynasty, the first lunar month was called Yuan and the 1st day was called Dan.
唐房玄齡等人寫的《晉書》上載，正月稱為元，初一為旦。
Yuan means the beginning, the first. The beginning of a number is Yuan. Dan, which is a pictographic character in the Chinese language, means the day rises from the horizon, symbolizing the beginning of a day. When Yuan and Dan are combined, it means the first day of a New Year.
「元」意為開始，第一，數字的第一個稱元。「旦」在中國文字裡是象形文字，其意思為太陽從地平線上升起，意為一天的開始。當「元」和「旦」相結合，意思就成了一年開始的第一天。
Yuan Dan is also called Three Yuan, the beginning of a year, the beginning of a month and the beginning of an hour. The word Yuan Dan was first used during the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns era.
元旦又稱「三元」，即歲之元、月之元、時之元。元旦最早可以追溯到「 三皇五帝時期」（ 「三皇」指天皇、地皇、人皇。「五帝」指木帝、火帝、土帝、金帝和水帝。）
In a legend about the prosperous era of Yao and Shun some 4000 years ago, when Yao was the king, he created many benefits for the people and was loved by them. However, since his son was not as capable as him, Yao did not pass on his throne to his son but to Shun, a wise and saintly man.
關於元旦節的傳說，相傳是在4000多年前遠古的堯舜之時，堯天子在位時勤政於民，為老百姓辦了很多好事，很受廣大老百姓愛戴，但因其子無才太不成器，堯沒把「天子」之位傳給自己的兒子，而是傳給了品德才能兼備的舜。
Yao said to Shun: "You must pass the throne to a right person. Then I will feel at peace when I die." Shun passed his throne to Yu, who was a hero because he could control flooding. Just like Shun, Yu also did a lot of good deeds for the people and was revered by them.
堯對舜說：「你今後一定要把帝位傳給值得的人，待我死後也可安心瞑目了」。後來舜把帝位傳給了治洪水有功的禹，禹亦像舜那樣親民愛民為百姓做了很多好事，都十分受人愛戴。
After Yao died, Shun set the day he made sacrifices to the heavens and gods, as well as to the late Yao, as the first day of the year, and the first day of the 1st lunar month became known as Yuan Dan or Yuan Zheng. This was Yuan Dan in ancient times.
後來人們把堯死後，舜帝祭祀天地和先帝堯的那一天，當作一年的開始之日，把正月初一稱為「元旦」，或「元正」，這就是古代的元旦。
Previous dynasties would organize celebrations and sacrifices on Yuan Dan, for example sacrificing to the immortals and their forefathers, writing Spring Festival scrolls, writing character fortunes and dragon dancing.
歷代皇朝都在元旦舉行慶賀典儀祈祀等活動，如祭諸神祭先祖，寫門對掛春聯，書寫福字、舞龍燈。
People also celebrated the day by making sacrifices to immortals and ancestors, pasting spring festival scrolls onto their houses, setting off firecrackers, staying up all night, eating dinners at reunions as well as putting on a "society fire".
民間也逐漸形成祭神佛、祭祖先、貼春聯、放鞭炮、守歲、吃團圓飯以及眾多的「社火」等娛樂歡慶活動。
These scenes are of such impact that the poet Xin Lan in the Jin Dynasty immortalised the scenes of Yuan Dan in his poem Yuan Zheng.
晉代詩人辛蘭曾有《元正》詩記述元旦慶賀情景（元正啟令節，嘉慶肇自茲。鹹奏萬年觴，小大同悅熙。）。
When Sun Yat-sen took office as the temporary President in Nanjing at the beginning of January of 1912, he set the 1st of the 1st lunar month as the Spring Festival while the 1st of January was set as the New Year, which was also called Yuan Dan.
公元1911年，孫中山領導的辛亥革命 ，推翻了滿清的統治，建立了中華民國。各省都督代表在南京開會，決定使用公曆，把農曆的正月初一叫做「春節」，把公曆的1月1日叫做「元旦」。
After liberation, the Central Government of China issued a National Festival and Memorial Day Holiday that set January 1st as Yuan Dan, which was a one-day holiday for the whole country.
新中國成立後，中國出臺了關於全國假日和戰爭紀念日的放假規定時，定1月1號為元旦，全國放假一天。
In order to distinguish the two New Years of both the lunar calendar and solar calendar, and as the "spring beginning" of the Lunar Calendar was always around the lunar New Year, the 1st of the 1st lunar month was called the Spring Festival.
為了區別農曆和陽曆的兩個新年，有鑑於農曆二十四節氣中的「立春」恰在農曆新年的前後，因此便把農曆正月初一改稱為「春節」。
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