The Spring Festival，also known as the Chinese New Year , is an important Chinese festival celebrated at the turn of the Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year's Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month.

Often, the evening preceding Chinese New Year's Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly cleanse the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity." Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes.

It is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand,Indonesia,Malaysia,Mauritius,Philippines,and also in Chinatowns elsewhere.

词汇： Calendar['kæləndɚ]日历 Lantern['læntɚn] Ill-fortune['il'fɔ:tʃən] 厄运 Longevity[lɔn'dʒɛvəti] 长寿 Envelope ['envələʊp; 'ɒn-]信封.

意译：春节，或称华人新年，是专指华人的新年。口头上亦称為过新年、过年、度岁、庆新春、庆新岁，是华人节日之首。

相关词汇Related Words

春节The Spring Festival(Chinese New Year)

除夕The New Year's Eve(eve of lunar New Year)

正月初一The First Day(First Day of the lunar New Year)

农历The Chinese Calendar (Lunar Calendar)

元宵节The Lantern Festival 元宵节

对联Antithetical Couplet ['kʌplət]

春联Spring Festival couplets

红包Red Envelopes(money wrapped in the red envelops)

烟花Fireworks 烟花

爆竹Firecrackers 爆竹(scare off the evil spirit)

年糕 Nian-gao(rise cake; New Year cake)

春晚CCTV Spring Festival Gala

灯谜 Riddles ['rɪdl] written on Lanterns

灯会 Exhibit of Lanterns

守岁 Staying-up

拜年 Give New Year's greetings; New Year's visit

禁忌 Taboo [tə'bu]

去晦气 Get Rid of the Ill- fortune

祭祖宗 Offer Sacrifices to One's Ancestors

压岁钱 Gift money(money given to children as a lunar New Year gift)

辞旧岁 Bid Farewell to the Old Year

扫房 Spring Cleaning ( comprehensive house-cleaning)

狮舞Lion Dance (to dispel evil and bring good luck.)

舞龙 Dragon Dance (to expect good weather and good harvests)

Food食物

团圆饭 Family Reunion Dinner

饺子 Jiao-zi (Chinese dumplings)

汤圆Tang-yuan(ball-shaped dumplings made of sweet rice, with various flavored fillings)

年货 Spring Festival Special Purchase( buy specials products for the New Year)

八宝饭 Eight Treasures Rice Pudding

糖果盘 Candy Tray:

什锦糖 Assorted Candies - Sweet and Fortune

蜜冬瓜 Candied Winter Melon -(Growth and Good Health)

西瓜子 Red Melon Seed (joy, happiness, truth and sincerity)

金桔 Kumquat

糖莲子 Candied Lotus Seed

糖藕 Candied Lotus Root (fulfilling love relationship)

红枣 Red Dates (prosperity)

花生 Peanut