What's the buzz
We will soon welcome a busy Spring Festival, starting with the shopping season in the 12th lunar month and ending with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the New Year. Homes are being cleaned. Windows and doors are being decorated with papercuts and couplets. Generous meals and sacrifices to the Kitchen God are in the making. However, within China, regional customs and traditions celebrating Chinese New Year vary widely. What are the special customs and taboos in your home town? China Daily's mobile phone news readers share their views:
Apart from traditional folk dances such as lion dances and stilt walking, the customs celebrating the Chinese New Year in Liaocheng, my hometown, include a drama written by fellow villagers who also make all exquisite props such as the dragon, lion and boat by themselves. The whole cast of the performance are volunteers, and they also give the show for free in neighboring villages. Some of the audiences will offer hot water or cigarettes to express their thanks for the play.
A READER, Liaocheng, Shandong province