Spring Festival

Spring Festival The first day of the first month by the Chinese Lunar Calendar is Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year; it is the most important traditional holiday in China. Spring Festival dates back to four thousand years ago, originated in the Shang Dynasty. The year of 2011 was the Year of the Rabbit; due to my parents went to Bengal for missionary work, my uncle who lives in the countryside invited me to his house for Spring Festival this year. I didn’t like the idea at first because the countryside is known for its unsatisfying sanitary condition and the lack of air-conditioning. Contrary to my expectations, this Spring Festival was the most fun and memorable holiday I’ve ever experienced. During the fifteen days of Spring Festival I experienced many old traditions and customs; the activities were meaningful and had interesting stories behind them. January the 23rd was the coldest day before Spring Festival; however, my uncle, aunt, my cousin and I went to the market and bought special purchases for the Spring Festival despite of the awful weather. Among the goods we bought, the antithetical couplets are worth a mention; antithetical couplets are vertical written couplets of blessing words written with writing brush on red papers and placed along both sides of a doorway. Red is considered lucky color in China, and most stores were decorated in red during the holiday season. We saw many huge lanterns with the character “福” (means happiness and good fortune, pronounces as “fu”) printed on their surfaces were hung on the walls. There was a big country fair which sells festival goods such as nuts, seafood, decorations, and fire crackers. The people on the streets looked vivid and full of joy, cries of sellers in the streets can be heard and shoppers carrying all kinds of goods can be seen everywhere. My aunt and I were pushed in the people mountain people sea, my face was red because of the cold weather, but I didn’t mind because I was busy