Chinese New Year’s Day is usually around the beginning of spring, so the day is regarded as the Spring Festival. It is the grandest traditional festival in China. On New Year’s Day, the first thing that people usually do is burning incense sticks. It is the oldest traditional custom in the Spring Festival. People express their filial piety and remembrance to their ancestors and they believe that the ancestral spirits can bless their descendants. This is the reason why the tradition can last so long. The second thing is to set off firecrackers. Because firecrackers are red in color, which represents good luck and jubilation in China. On the first day of the New Year’s morning, lighting firecrackers means good luck. So every family sets off firecrackers to bid farewell to the old year and ring in the new year. Then it comes the most important activity—New Year's greetings. Gong Xi Fa Cai (congrats for being more prosperous and better off), Wan Shi Ru Yi (everything goes as you wish), Shen Ti Jian Kang (being fit and healthy) are among the most frequently used greeting terms. The tradition of giving New Year's greetings to relatives and friends can date back to the Han Dynasty and flourished after the Tang and Song dynasties. When people visit relatives and friends, they should bring gifts and give New Year's greetings to the elders. And the elders will give red envelops to children. This tradition reflects the elders' care for the younger generation. The reunion dinner on the first day of the New Year fully shows the mutual respect and love among the Chinese family members, and it also brings families closer together. People in the northern part of Anhui would wrap coins in dumplings for the occasion. Whoever eats the dumplings means that he will have the best luck in the New Year. And according to the customs, floor cleaning and water splashing are not allowed on this day.
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