Chinese New Year is our family's favorite holiday. Chinese New York is the most important Chinese festival in all Chinese festivals. Chinese New York is from Lunar January first to Lunar January fifteenth. Before Chinese New York, every household is busy buying things, painting, and hanging lanterns and window paper cuttings. On New Year’s Evethat night every household should clean the house to sweep away bad luck of this year and welcome the good luck of [the] new year. On New Year’s Eve, every household must eat a big dinner, including fish, chicken, pork, duck, rice, vegetables, wine and so on. In Sichuan where I am from, we will also eat Dongpo Pork. While we are eating dinner, we also watch the Spring Festival Gala [on TV] and chat with each other. After the clock strikes midnight, we go out to set off firecrackers. On New Year day, we wear beautiful new clothes. In the morning, we eat dumplings. On the second day of the New Year, we bring gifts and red envelopes to visit friends and relatives. While we meet each other, we will say words of blessing, such as “Kung Hei Fat Choy”, “good luck”, etc. We won’t miss watching the lion dance and dragon dance either. January 15 [on the Lunar Calendar] is the Lantern Festival. On this day we have to eat rice balls and have dinner with family. After Lunar January 15, the Chinese New Year is ended. School classes will begin soon, and people will be busy. Everyone has a new hope in the new year.

– Zhou, Hong

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