Practice Time
练习时光
The custom of visiting friends, relatives and neighbors is one of the popular activities on New Year's Day. This activity is called Open House. The custom of Open House was inaugurated by George Washington during his first term as President. On January 1, 1789, President Washington first opened the doors of his official residence to all who wished to come. An Open House is just what the name implies: the front door is left open. Inside the door there is a spirit of relaxed cordiality, and guests are free to arrive and leave when they like. Invitations may say simply, "Drop in after the game" or "Come drink a New Year's toast with us". On January 1, now, families hold "Open House" so that their friends can visit them throughout the day to express good wishes for the New Year.
走亲访友是新年一项重要的活动。这种活动即“开放日”。这种习惯由乔治·华盛顿在第一任总统任期时开创。1789年1月1日，华盛顿总统首次打开他的官邸大门，迎接游客。顾名思义，在“开放日”这一天各家的大门是敞开的。屋里的气氛轻松，热烈，人们可以随时随地地进进出出。邀请函上的文字很简单，“球赛节目之后顺便走访一下”，或者“欢迎与我们共饮一杯辞旧迎新酒”。现在，在1月1日，各家各户依然举行这种招待会，以便亲友互致新年祝福。