"Some cities ban burning fireworks; some urbanites no longer post traditional
red papers with auspicious words; some buy frozen dumplings instead of making
the tasty traditional food which represents family union itself," said Dang
Xichen, a student with Zhengzhou
University. Dang supported and signed his name on the declaration.
"All these changes prove that our traditional festivals need protection. I
don't know what else we can celebrate if we lose interest in the Spring
Festival," Dang said.
Burning fireworks during the Spring Festival is believed to ward off evil for
thousands of years in China, and it is said that Chinese ancestors first burnt
bamboo which let out pitter-patter sounds to celebrate the harvest.
"I don't know the exact origin of burning fireworks, but I love the sound.
It's just like the fireworks are yelling for me. Our parents are busy everyday
and we are burdened with school work. The fireworks somehow help me vent my
anxiety," said Wang Xinxin, a middle school student in Tianjin
Municipality.
The Spring Festival has recently been included in the recommendation list for
intangible cultural heritage in China.
The festival falls on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Families will stay
together making dumplings, setting off fireworks, posting red papers with
auspicious words or patterns on walls, doors
and windows, giving gift money to children and visiting relatives or
friends. The celebration usually lasts for about a week and is then followed by
the Lantern
Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Editor:
Cindy
