the pring fetival i the mot important fetival for the chinee people and i when all family member get together, jut like chritma in the wet. all people living away from home go back, becoming the buiet time for tranportation ytem of about half a month from the pring fetival. airport, railway tation and long-ditance bu tation are crowded with home returnee.
trictly peaking, the pring fetival tart every year in the early day of the 12th lunar month and will lat till the mid 1t lunar month of the next year. of them, the mot important day are pring fetival eve and the firt three day. the chinee government now tipulate people have even day off for the chinee lunar new year.
many cutom accompany the pring fetival. ome are till followed today, but other have weakened.
on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month, many familie make laba porridge, a deliciou kind of porridge made with glutinou rice, millet, eed of job' tear, jujube berrie, lotu eed, bean, longan and gingko.
the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month i called preliminary eve. at thi time, people offer acrifice to the kitchen god. now however, mot familie make deliciou food to enjoy themelve.
after the preliminary eve, people begin preparing for the coming new year. thi i called “eeing the new year in”.
tore owner are buy then a everybody goe out to purchae neceitie for the new year. material not only include edible oil, rice, flour, chicken, duck, fih and meat, but alo fruit, candie and kind of nut. what' more, variou decoration, new clothe and hoe for the children a well a gift for the elderly, friend and relative, are all on the lit of purchaing.[由www.hAozuowEn.com整理]
before the new year come, the people completely clean the indoor and outdoor of their home a well a their clothe, bedclothe and all their utenil.
then people begin decorating their clean room featuring an atmophere of rejoicing and fetivity. all the door panel will be pated with pring fetival couplet, highlighting chinee calligraphy with black character on red paper. the content varie from houe owner' wihe for a bright future to good luck for the new year. alo, picture of the god of door and wealth will be poted on front door to ward off evil pirit and welcome peace and abundance.
the chinee character “fu” （meaning bleing or happine） i a mut. the character put on paper can be pated normally or upide down, for in chinee the “revered fu” i homophonic with “fu come”, both being pronounced a “fudaole.” what' more, two big red lantern can be raied on both ide of the front door. red paper-cutting can be een on window gla and brightly colored new year painting with aupiciou meaning may be put on the wall.
people attach great importance to pring fetival eve. at that time, all family member eat dinner together. the meal i more luxuriou than uual. dihe uch a chicken, fih and bean curd cannot be excluded, for in chinee, their pronunciation, repectively “ji”, “yu” and “doufu,” mean aupicioune, abundance and richne. after the dinner, the whole family will it together, chatting and watching tv. in recent year, the pring fetival party broadcat on china central televiion tation （cctv） i eential entertainment for the chinee both at home and abroad. according to cutom, each family will tay up to ee the new year in.
waking up on new year, everybody dree up. firt they extend greeting to their parent. then each child will get money a a new year gift, wrapped up in red paper. people in northern china will eat jiaozi, or dumpling, for breakfat, a they think “jiaozi” in ound mean “bidding farewell to the old and uhering in the new”. alo, the hape of the dumpling i like gold ingot from ancient china. o people eat them and wih for money and treaure.
outhern chinee eat niangao （new year cake made of glutinou rice flour） on thi occaion, becaue a a homophone, niangao mean “higher and higher, one year after another.” the firt five day after the pring fetival are a good time for relative, friend, and clamate a well a colleague to exchange greeting, gift and chat leiurely.
burning firework wa once the mot typical cutom on the pring fetival. people thought the pluttering ound could help drive away evil pirit. however, uch an activity wa completely or partially forbidden in big citie once the government took ecurity, noie and pollution factor into conideration. a a replacement, ome buy tape with firecracker ound to liten to, ome break little balloon to get the ound too, while other buy firecracker handicraft to hang in the living room.
the lively atmophere not only fill every houehold, but permeate to treet and lane. a erie of activitie uch a lion dancing, dragon lantern dancing, lantern fetival and temple fair will be held for day. the pring fetival then come to an end when the lantern fetival i finihed.
china ha 56 ethnic group. minoritie celebrate their pring fetival almot the ame day a the han people, and they have different cutom.