春节，阖家欢乐过大年（英）

　　春节，是中国人最重要节日， 春节，也是中国节俗最丰富的、气氛最火热的节日。 春节，也是中国传统文化标识之一。 源于原始崇拜和祭祀自然神明的春节， 早已世代相承中形成了独具有中国特色的家庭观、亲情观， 成为流淌在华夏子孙血脉里的一种文化基因。 正是这样的传承与延续， 春节才成为人们最为看重的传统节日， 成为承载回家团聚这一伟大主题的重要载体。 Although times change， the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year is always the most important festival mirroring the deepest feeling and simplest wish- es of all Chinese. Family reunion is the eternal theme of the Spring Festival. No matter where you are， all have to go back home to reunite with their parents and kith and kin. The unique concept of family and kinship of the Chinese， which has passed down from generation to generation， has become a cultural gene flowing in the blood of Chinese people for numerous centuries. On Lunar New Year's Eve， most people choose to sit glued to their mobile phones， sending blessings to relatives and friends， distributing or snapping up “Hongbao” （gift money） through WeChat as a modern form of greeting， and at the same time， they may also wacth the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala is being broadcast live. The subsequent seven-day holiday will be full of various feasts or dinner parties. Of course， some people may make good use of the time to travel with their families within the country or abroad.

　　苏槿，资深媒体人，行摄家、专栏作者，传统文化传播者。著有《四时之歌：节气里的风物生活》，“中国节”系列丛书，旅游指南类图书《走遍中国》系列，《迷藏——藏地秘境？大穿越》《摄友最爱的100摄影胜地》（中国篇、外国篇各一卷）等。 Su Jin Senior media professionals， photogra- pher， columnist， and communicator of tra- ditional culture. She is the author of Song of Four Seasons： The Life of The 24 Solar Terms， China Festival series， 100 Favorite Photography Destinations of Photogra- pher， etc.

Preface 02
Chapter I Chinese Spring Festival Fervor
Section 1 Spring Festival, a Traditional Event 002
Section 2 New-Style Spring Festival 009
Chapter II Spring Festival, both Ancient and Young
Section 1 The Origin of Spring Festival 018
Section 2 Legends of the Spring Festival 026
Section 3 A Brief History of the Spring Festival 031
Chapter III Bustling Preparations for Chinese New Year
Section 1 Laba Rice Porridge, Beginning of the New Year’s Celebration 040
Section 2 Offering Sacrifices to Ancestors, a Top Priority of Chinese Lunar New Year 046
Section 3 Full Preparation Made for a Satisfying Spring Festival 053
Section 4 House Cleaning and Bathing, for a Fresh Start of New Year 070
Section 5 Pasting Spring Festival Couplets, Fu Characters and Auspicious Pat- terns for Good Luck 075
Section 6 New Year Painting—Festival in Folk Arts 092
Chapter IV New Year Celebration
Section 1 Chinese New Year’s Eve—Family Reunion, Time to Ring out the Old and Ring in the New Year 108
Section 2 Paying a New Year Call 123
Section 3 Dragon and Lion Dances 136
Section 4 The Temple Fair, Chinese New Year Carnival 143
Section 5 Shehuo, a Show Staged in the Field 148
Section 6 Spring Festival, Conventions and Rules 155
Section 7 Spring Festival Travel Season, Going Home for the New Year 168
Section 8 During the Weeklong Holiday for Spring Festival, How to Thoroughly Enjoy Oneself 175
Section 9 Lantern Festival, Climax Ending the Spring Festival 178
Chapter V The Feast of Spring Festival
Section 1 New Year’s Eve Dinner, Family Reunion 186
Section 2 Different Recipes for the Spring Festival 191
Chapter VI Spring Festival Celebrated Across the World
Section 1 Spring Festival and Christmas 208
Section 2 Chinese Lunar New Year and Japanese ‘Old First Month’ 212
Section 3 Chinatown, a Thriving Sign of Chinese Culture 215
Section 4 Chinese Lunar Stamps, Popular in the World 219