The Spring Festival is the most important festival in China. It is a time for families to get together, just like Christmas in Western countries. It usually comes in January or February.
Before the Spring Festival, people are very busy. They clean their houses. Cleaning the house means sweeping away bad luck. They also buy a lot of food, like fruits, candies, and nuts. Red is a lucky color in China. So, people put up red lanterns, red couplets, and the upside - down “fu” character on the doors. The couplets have nice words for good luck.
On New Year's Eve, families have a big dinner together. This is called the reunion dinner. In the north of China, people eat dumplings. Dumplings look like little gold ingots, and they mean good luck and money. In the south, people may eat rice cakes. The word for rice cakes in Chinese sounds like “getting higher year by year”.
After dinner, children are very excited. They can get red envelopes from their grandparents, parents, and other relatives. There is money inside the red envelopes. It is a wish for good luck.
At night, there are often fireworks. The sky lights up with beautiful colors. Fireworks are very loud, and they scare away bad spirits.
On the first day of the new year, people put on new clothes and visit their friends and neighbors. They say “Happy New Year!” to each other.
During the Spring Festival, there are also many interesting shows, like dragon dances and lion dances. The dragon and lion dancers move so lively, and people enjoy watching them.
The Spring Festival is really a fun time for everyone in China!
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