Far and away the most important tranditional holiday in China is the Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year. To the Chinese people it is as important as Christmas to people in the West. The dates for this annual celebration are determined by the lunar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, so the timing of the holiday varies from late January to early February.
To the ordinary Chinese, the festival actually begins on the eve of the lunar New Year's Day and ends on the fifth day of the first month of the lunar calendar. But the 15th of the first month, which normally is called the Lantern（灯笼） Festival, means the official end of the Spring Festival in many parts of the country.
Before the Spring Festival, the people usually clean and decorate their houses. And they go to the Flower Fairs to buy some flowers. During Spring Festival ,the s usually give lucky money to children, and the offsprings who have been working often give money to their parents. People often get together and have a big meal. Some people eat dumpling for dinner. Almost everyone in China are busy visiting relatives and friends during the Spring Festival.
