When thinking of Chinese festivals, Spring Festival always comes to mind first. Everybody is looking forward to it being Spring festival soon.

Spring Festival, the most valuable festival in Chinese opinions, means a lot to Chinese people. Firstly it's the time for all members of one family to reunite, sit at one table, enjoy a New Year's Eve dinner and watch the Spring Festival Gala. This is the happiest time for the family. Especially for the old people in a family who eagerly await the arrival of the younger generation, because in Chinese families, the young always work far from home, while the old and the children are left behind. They only get to gather together during spring festival time.

Secondly, it's the beginning of the next year, filled with pleasure and new hopes. Putting on new clothes and cleaning up the house is the symbolic activity of bidding farewell to the old year and ushering in the new.

Thirdly, there are a number of meaningful and pleasing activities. Visiting relatives and their friends and giving New Year's greetings are all part of Chinese traditional customs. What's more it can strengthen contacts and promote friendships. And for children, it's a time to get lucky money from elders, which can be delightful. Also, people usually decorate the doors and windows with red paper-cutouts, because red means good luck.

Last but not least, the Spring Festival finishes with the Lantern Festival after two weeks. According to tradition, people usually eat a kind of rice dumpling called yuanxiao，which can bring people good luck all year round. Wishing you much joy in the coming Spring Festival!