Chen jie (gggg) Chinese Spring Festival.

Chen jie (a,a1/2aeY=e) Chinese Spring Festival is the time in China when nearly the entire Chinese nation heads towards railway stations, airports or bus depots. Most of them, who are away from their ancestral homes for education or jobs, return home to celebrate the festival with their parents and other loved ones in a befitting manner.

Spring festival commences with the Chinese Lunar New Year and marks the departure of the outgoing year and welcoming the New Year. The history of this festival is over 4,000 years and is the most important annual festival for the Chinese. Festivities commence from the first day of the first month of the Chinese Lunar New Year and continue till the 15th. According to traditions, preparations for celebrating the festival commence from 23rd of the last month of the outgoing year. Governmental organisations and offices observe a week's holidays, while educational institutions enjoy a month's vacations as spring festival holidays. This traditional festival is the time to visit your parents and elders and enjoy the festivities with them just like in the west Christians rush home for Christmas or in the Muslim world, the faithful endeavour to go to their ancestral home for Eid holidays.

Demographic statistics of China indicate that its population comprises a majority of Hans and 55 ethnic minorities, who celebrate the spring festival every year with traditional zeal and enthusiasm. Since earlier the majority population of China was pastoral and was engaged in agriculture, hence spring festival coincided with the harvesting period, which called for celebrations.

Spring festival is also known as Nian (a1'a1/2). According to folklore, during the rule of the Song Dynasty (17-11 Century BC), in the mountains, there lived a horrible demon creature named Nian. Every year, on the first day of the year, the creature would awaken and descend upon the village. He would eat all the grain and livestock. Thus, every New Year day, people would try to frighten Nian away with fireworks and red colour. Traditionally, the Chinese decorate their homes and hearth with red, wear red dresses and use fireworks to frighten Nian away.

Every year, in the last week of the outgoing Chinese Lunar year, preparations for the spring festival commence. Children and women prepare red dresses. Delicious food items are prepared. Homes are cleaned inside out, and doors and windows are decorated with red paper cut flowers, dragons and animals. The...