The unforgettable Spring Festival in China 难忘的中国春节

Mitchell Blatt

The day I arrived in China for the first time was the Lantern Festival 2011. Firecrackers exploded in alleyways， lighting up the night and adding to the already great excitement of exploring a large city with a diverse culture.

Now I am getting ready to celebrate my second Spring Festival in China （not including my 2011

celebration）. The Spring Festival is sometimes referred to by Chinese people speaking to foreigners as “the Christmas of China”. Both holidays usually involve people eating and drinking together as a family and there are some similarities， but the Spring Festival has its own characteristics and meaning.

In my view as an American in China， the Spring Festival is a beautiful two-week-long celebration when family and friends get together， which begins with Chinese New Year and ends with the Lantern Festival. It is celebrated with various Chinese cultural activities， which makes it all the more exciting for me to observe some things I do not see every day. In contrast to Christmas， the Spring Festival is a holiday that includes almost everyone in China.

During the Spring Festival in Shanghai in 2013， a friend invited me to dinner with his family on the eve of the traditional Chinese New Year. Three generations， children， fathers and mothers， uncles and cousins， and grandparents were there. Before the dinner， the youngest generation were asked to give short speeches wishing a prosperous new year. After a long procession of dishes， no one could say they were hungry.

After dinner， we went out to the street， and my friend taught me how to launch fireworks the Chinese way—lighting them with a cigarette. The fireworks exploded over the streetlights and passed cars on the road. I can't imagine doing that in America. It isn't allowed in many states to even launch fireworks in the countryside， let alone in a crowded city like Shanghai.

One year later I was celebrating the Lantern Festival in Beijing with some Chinese friends. We purchased fireworks and set off to Houhai， a crowded bar district by Houhai lake. The area was already raucous with explosions on every corner. We only added to the crack. Luckily， setting off fireworks has been strictly prohibited in many cities so far！

Reading check

1. What is the difference between the Spring Festival and Christmas according to the author？

A. Starting time.

B. Different beliefs.

C. The festival's duration.

D. People's participation.

2. What might seem unacceptable to the author about the Spring Festival？

A. Preparing so many dishes.

B. Multiple-generation gathering.

C. Lighting fireworks in an urban district.

D. Speeches by the youngest generation.

3. What does the underlined word “raucous” in the last paragraph mean？

A. Messy and alive.

B. Terrible and noisy.

C. Loud and unpleasant.

D. Powerful and constant.

Cultural Background

燃放鞭炮的歷史渊源

《荆楚岁时记》中记载到：“正月一日，是三元之日也。谓之端月，鸡鸣而起，先于庭前爆竹、燃草，以辟山魈恶鬼。” 这也是后来人们在春节燃放鞭炮的由来。由此可见，“爆竹”一词的本意是焚竹而爆。放鞭炮有着辞旧迎新之说，寓意着对新的一年的美好向往。

相传在远古时代，有一种凶猛的怪兽叫“年”，它一年四季都待在深海里，但每逢新旧岁之交，便出来糟蹋庄稼，伤害人畜，百姓叫苦连天。有一次它又跑到村庄里为非作歹，但被一户人家门口晾的大红衣服吓跑了。到了另一处，又被灯光吓得抱头鼠窜。于是人们掌握了“年”怕声音、怕红色、怕火光的弱点。每至年末岁首，人们就在家门口贴红联、放鞭炮、挂红灯，院子里烧柴禾、拢旺火，用菜刀剁菜、剁肉，发出声音。