1、The spring festivalIt falls on the first day of the first Chinese lunar month and the celebration last from the 23rd of the 12th lunar month up to the 15th of the first lunar month next year.12345The legend of nianAccording to legend,there was a man-eating wild monster Nian with an extremely large m
2、outh,capable of swallowing several people in a single bite.The legend of nianThis beast appeared in a country village,towards the end of winter when there was nothing to eat it would visit the villages and attack and eat whatever it could.The villagers would live in terror over the winter.The legend
3、 of nianOne day,a wise old man passed through the village and told an old woman,I will teach you how to scare Nian away!The legend of nianThat evening when Nian arrived at the village,he saw that all the houses were dark except the house in which an old woman lived.Nian approached the house,licking
4、his lips in anticipation.The legend of nianSuddenly,the deafening noise of firecrackers sounded endlessly.The legend of nianThe monster was startled and jumped.Suddenly he realized that the house was covered in red paper.This scared him even more and it ran off into the mountains.When the villagers
5、returned they saw that the old woman was unharmed!The legend of nianPeople later learned that nian was afraid of loud noises and the color red.The legend of nianThe villagers came together and agreed that when it was time for Nians annual visit towards the end of winter they would start a fire in fr
6、ont of every door and not go to sleep but rather make noise.The legend of nianNian had not come down the mountain to cause any trouble thereafter.The legend of nianThis eventually become a tradition of China and leads to the celebration for another year of safe life.Chinese people celebrate in remem
7、brance of this legend and still continues till today!Customs of the Spring FestivalSweeping the dust“dust”in Chinese means old and past.This custom shows a good wish of putting away old things to welcome a new life.Pasting Spring CoupletsOn the eve of the Spring Festival,every household will paste o
8、n doors a spring couplets written on red paper to give a happy and prosperous atmosphere of the Festival.Pasting“up-sided Fu“Fu”shows peoples yearning toward a good life.Some people even invert the Character”fu”to signify that blessing has arrived because“inverted”is a homonym for“arrive”in Chinese.
9、Set off fireworksThe first thing every Chinese household does is to set off fireworks and firecrackerasNew years visitOn the first day of the Chinese lunar year,everybody puts on their best clothes and pay ceremonial calls on their relatives and friends,wishing them all the luck in the coming year.T
10、raditional Traditional Festival GreetingsFestival Greetings恭喜发财Wish You Prosperity步步高升Promoting to a high position吉祥如意Everything goes well岁岁平安Peace all year roundGift moneyJuniors will greet seniors,wishing them health and longevity,while seniors will give juniors some gift money as wish for their s
11、afety in the coming year.The dinner on new years eveDumpling and fish are must during the Family Reunion Dinner on New Years Eve.Some people will put a coin inside one dumpling.The people who eat this dumpling will be to thought be a lucky guy.The fish could not be eaten out because the fish means e
12、xtra things by partial tone.And it represents the wish for a prosperous year with abundant and even extra wealth and luck.Traditional food饺饺子子DumplingsDumplingsTraditional food汤圆汤圆Sweet soup ballsSweet soup ballsTraditional food鱼鱼fishfishWelcome the godsPeople began their day by offerin prayers and
13、welcome the gods of heaven and earth.Most of the people stay away from meat to ensure healthy living Worship the god of wealthAccording to the traditions,nobodyvisits friends and relatives houses as it would bring bad omen.They stay back home to worship the god of wealth.The day is called Po Woo.Tem
14、ple Fair Temple fair,usually held outside temples,is a kind of folk customs in China.It is one of the most important activites,in which there are such performances as acrobatics and Wushu,numerous kinds of local snacks and many kind of things for everyday life.十二生肖SHI ER SHENGXIAO子（z）鼠鼠丑(chu)牛牛寅(yn)虎虎卯(mo)兔兔辰(chn)龙 巳(si)蛇蛇 午(w)马未(wi)羊羊 申(shn)猴猴 酉(yu)鸡 戌(x)狗狗 亥(hi)猪猪 新年快新年快乐乐！Happy lunar yearHappy lunar year！
