Writing a story about the holidays







This year I am having unusual holiday. I am staying in China at my aunt's friends and we are celebrating New Year's Day.

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. This is why, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration is traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honour of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.

At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate their houses with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.