Spring Festival is the most important among all our traditional festivals. It celebrates
the coming of lunar new year, people also call it Guo Nian. China is a big country with
many ethnic groups, people celebrate the festival with many different ways, but there are
many things in common.For example, firecracker is an indispensable part of the new year celebration
in most part of the country. It's said in ancient times, a monster called Nian came out to devour
people on New Year's Eve. So people lit firecrackers to scare it away. Guo Nian,
which literally means to 'survive the monster', now has taken on a completely different meaning,
one of fun, relaxation and excitement.
Nowadays, not many people still observe the old traditions such offering sacrifice to the God of
the Kitchen before the new year, but many others are still alive. As in the old time, people will
have a thorough cleaning upon the coming of the new year. It's believed bad luck will disappear
with the dirt and dust. Many people, especially those rural areas, will place antithetical couplets
of auspicious words on both sides of the door, and use beautiful paper cuttings to decorate
the windows. The Chinese character for Luck is pasted upside down to indicate the coming of good
luck. The hearty family reunion meals is a must for all the families, then dragon dances,
lantern shows, temple fairs, and local opera performances are all popular entertainment
during the festival season. With today's fast-paced and sometimes stressful lifestyle,
traditional festivities and old customs can help us relax a bit. They remind us of the good
old days, when we were little kids, excited, as only children can be, at the coming of
the Spring festival.
By the time the Spring Festival comes, the northeast has already become a fairyland of ice
and snow. It can be quite beautiful-black trees stark against a background of blue skies and pure
white snow. But the bitter cold doesn't hold back people's excitement and happiness. And what
a wonderful excuse to warm up one's tummy with a glass or two of baijiu, strong alcohol!
The folk in northeast China are generally straightforward, unconstrained, and seem impervious
to the cold. Maybe that’s because they are able to drink a lot; they say that, like a motor
car, they need antifreeze to see them through the long winter, and what better than very
strong baijiu, especially during the Spring Festival! And it’s not just the Han Chinese.
Other ethnic groups in the region, such as the Manchu, Koreans, Hezhe, Mongolians, Daur, Ewenki,
and many others, really know how to enjoy themselves. Each of these minority nationalities also
considers the Spring Festival the year's most important festival. Three things are indispensable
at this time: pasting antithetical couplets in the doorway, setting off firecrackers, and eating
Jiaozi, which are dumplings with a meat and vegetable stuffing.