The first day of the first lunar month is Spring Festival,the beginning of a new year for China. Spring Festival is China's biggest extravaganza and a day for family reunion. Being around family members at the turn of the year is a vital ritual for the Chinese people. Many of those living away from their hometowns return home during Spring Festival, which gives rise to what's called "the largest annual human migration in the world", also known as the " Spring Festival travel rush". The Spring Festival celebration is a continuous process, starting from the 23rd or 24th ofthe 12th lunar month. People often worship the Kitchen God,clean their houses,do their shopping, and put up Spring Festival couplets (blessing words posted on door frames) until New Year's Eve on the lunar calendar.These customs can be traced back to a Chinese legend. It is said that in ancient times, there was a monster named Nian, who would come out and harm the world by the end of each lunar year. People then took measures to send the monster away, such as putting up red couplets as Nian detested the colorred, and setting of fireworks and firecrackers at their doors to scare it away. In addition to staying up late on New Year's Eve, having a New Year's Eve dinner and watching the Spring Festival Gala are two important customs of Spring Festival. New Year's Eve dinner are manifested in different ways in different parts of China. Those in South China must have a dish of fish, because "fish" in Chinese sounds similar to the character for"prosperity" symbolizing an abundant and comfortable life. Those in North China often eat dumplings, which symbolize "reunion" and "fortune". The Spring Festival Gala is a variety TV program broadcast annually to celebrate the lunar New Year. The gala attracts the largest audience of any entertainment show in the wonld, and runs for more than four hours, making it the longest TV show in the worlds. It is often hailed as a cultural feast for Chinese people on New Year's Eve. There is also a custom of giving and receiving red envelopes, or hong bao. Traditionally, adults placed money into red envelopes and gave then to the children to wish them peace and good luck in the coming year. Nowadays, with the popularization of mobile payment in China, it is a trend to send red envelopes digitally. The internet can deliver New Year’s wishes to each and every loved one, even if they are thousands of miles away.The joyous atmosphere of Chinese New Year will linger until the first full moon of the first lunar month. Then the Lantern Festival is celebrated, which is bound to be another busy day.
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