Every country and every nation has its own traditional festivals. The Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the biggst red-letter holiday in China while Christmas is the most important holiday day in the western world. Those festivals offer people an opportunity to be torn away from their routine work and daily worries to unwind themselves and to foster kinship and friendship.
The Spring Festival (Chinese new year) and Christmas have much in common. Both are prepared in advance to create a happy atmosphere; both provide a family reunion with a big feast; both make the children happy with exciting gifts, yummy food and new clothes. But Chinese Spring Festival has nothing to do with religion while Christmas has something to do with God and there is Santa Claus with white beard to bring children presents.
Today, many of the Chinese young people have started to celebrate Christmas, following the example of the westerners. Maybe they spend Christmas mainly just for fun becuase of curiosity. However, for most expats living in Beijing or other parts of China, they would like to spend Chinese Spring Festival mainly due to the fact it is a good idea to explore deep Chinese culture. Various traditional customs and activities are kept and handed down during the Chinese new year (Spring Festival) including pasting Spring Festival scrolls, paper-cuts pictures, setting off firecrackers and fireworks, paying New Year visits, and eating dumplings.
Today, many of the Chinese young people have started to celebrate Christmas, following the example of the westerners. Maybe they spend Christmas mainly just for fun becuase of curiosity. However, for most expats living in Beijing or other parts of China, they would like to spend Chinese Spring Festival mainly due to the fact it is a good idea to explore deep Chinese culture. Various traditional customs and activities are kept and handed down during the Chinese new year (Spring Festival) including pasting Spring Festival scrolls, paper-cuts pictures, setting off firecrackers and fireworks, paying New Year visits, and eating dumplings.
The date for Chinese Lunar new year is not fixed, between late Jan and early Feb each year. This year 2011’s Chinese new year day falls on Feb 3, 2010.
The official paid day off for the Spring Festival is 3 days. But Chinese government makes it a 7 day holiday by moving the prior weekend and the upcoming one together with these 3 days. This is the Chinese government’s “holiday economy” policy. In a nation that for thousands of years held diligence and hard work in the highest esteem, the Chinese have learned to relax, travel and loosen their wallets since their country began its thrice annual holidays seven years ago, known as Golden Weeks.
Beijing Chinese New Year Travel Service