TASTES OF FESTIVAL

By Tong Xuan

When the sun rose over Tuozhi Bai village in southwest Chinas Yunnan Province on the first day of the lunar calendar， the candles in the central room of Li Zhongwus home were lit. Surrounding the candles were memorials to remember the familys ancestors. Li， dressed smartly， then burned incense to show his respect.

The village is also the home of various ethnic groups. They all follow their own unique customs to celebrate the Spring Festival， which have developed through family foods， traditions and cultural practices.

After graduating from college， Li went back to work in his hometown， where worshipping ancestors and preparing a vegan banquet are two traditional activities to celebrate the Lunar New Years Day. Today， only few families， including the Lis， have preserved both of these customs.

“My grandmother is Buddhist and has a lasting influence on me； hence a vegan banquet is served on the first day of the Spring Festival.” Before cooking， all the crockery and tableware are washed in a pond. According to his parents， this is the cleanest water source. “The washing al-ways evokes memories of my childhood.”

Five different dishes are served on the table， which is the traditional number of different foods eaten at the Lunar New Years Day in his family. “You might think that making a vegan feast is easy but it isnt.”

Li usually takes a prominent role in the ceremony， despite the younger members normally taking a passive role in such rituals. During this years festival， the family held a special vigil for Lis great grandfather.

“For me， the Spring Festival is all about preserving a close family bond.”

In Zhang Pans yard， preserved meat hangs， giving off an inviting aroma.

Zhang and his wife， both born in the 1990s in the village where their parents and daughter still live， work in east Chinas Zhejiang Province. Thus， the Spring Festival is an important time for the family to reunite.

Each Spring Festival， Zhangs parents insist on making preserved pork， regardless of the hard work it takes to prepare it. “It is difficult to make because the procedures are so complicated， storing preserved meat is also difficult as modern houses are not well ventilated，” he said. “Many residents do not make preserved meat at home nowadays.” In addition， till preserved meat is fully dried， it attracts flies. So his father has to keep them away with a self-made tool， he explained.

After the holiday， Zhang will pack the best of the preserved pork and take it home in Zhejiang. He said， “For me， preserved pork is the taste of the Spring Festival.”

Zhu， a Zhuang native， has been living in the village for 25 years since she married an ethnic Han. Unlike many other Zhuang women who relinquish their traditional culture when marrying outside their ethnic group， Zhu has brought her culture to her husbands family.

During the Spring Festival， Zhuang people dine on rice dumplings wrapped in leaves. They also wear traditional clothes to greet the Lunar New Year.

In her traditional clothes， Zhu was regarded as one of the most beautiful women in her village. “My outfit for the Lunar New Years Day was designed two years ago. Ive got four new outfi ts for the Spring Festival since I got married.” Her appreciation for color changed with age， now， she prefers more subtle colors such as brown and black rather than bright red.

“I learned how to cook from my mother and each Spring Festival， I make these dishes myself， except the year I got injured in a car accident.” On the eve of the Lunar New Year， Zhu cooks rice dumplings while staying up late to welcome in the new year. She also gives the food to relatives and friends as gift.

Zhu has maintained memories of her youth and also respects her husbands Han culture. “Wherever I go can be my hometown as long as I keep the traditional culture of my ethnic group.”

Although it is often said that traditions have diminished in recent times， numerous people still insist on practising their customs. These rituals have become imprinted on peoples minds and help connect generations and people from different ethnic groups in China.