ONE GREAT CELEBRATION WITH DIFFERENT ASPECTS

The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb 12, is an important occasion for family reunions. The holiday normally marks the largest movement of humans on the planet, but, in light of COVID-19, fewer people will be hitting the road to prevent its further spread. There has been a call for people to celebrate the festival in the places where they are, and avoid cross-region travel.

However, it does not mean the festive spirit will be toned down. The Lunar New Year atmosphere is evident across the country. Traditional costumes will be worn and lucky draws held. Chang'an Avenue in Beijing and its surrounding areas have been decorated with lanterns to enhance the festive atmosphere. Landscape and stage decorations of Chang'an Avenues has already become a routine for many years. Electronic lanterns hanging on the avenue each weigh more than 20 kilograms and the Chinese knot lantern is heavier, about 30 kilograms. It takes four people to complete the installation of a lantern.

Various merchants are tailoring their unique festival offerings to accommodate a growing number of consumers as they celebrate an unusual year away from their hometowns. People across the country are now buying New Year decorations such as red lanterns and Chinese knots as the Lunar New Year approaches. Almost all decorations involved the color red and lucky images.

In order to allow those who have given up returning home for the Lunar New Year to enjoy their holiday in Beijing, public libraries, cultural centers, art galleries, museums, theaters, sports venues, parks and scenic spots will remain open with limited daily admittance and appointments. Many plan to provide Beijing citizens with discounts or free services.

Beijing's horticulturists and flower sellers have prepared more than 8.5 million plants for sale to meet public demand as many residents like to decorate their homes during the festive season. The top five plant and flower varieties in demand are succulent, potted plants, butterfly orchids, jonquils, crab cactus and cyclamen, accounting for 80 percent of the total output of the 8.5 million to be sold. Beijing will also issue shopping coupons for residents who choose to stay in the capital during the holiday. In addition, mobile phone users in Beijing will be eligible to receive 20G free data packages for use in the city during the festival. The telecom companies will contact customers regarding the details.

It is traditional to post Spring Festival couplets during Lunar New Year as they symbolize good luck and express people's yearning for a better life. The staff at Xincun community, in Jiangsu province's Jurong city, organized recently calligraphy enthusiasts in the community to write couplets for everyone and send New Year blessings. Vendors at Shuangxing Commodity Wholesale Market in Dalian, Liaoning province, have hung up couplets and ox mascots. The prosperous stalls are filled with vast arrays of goods, adding to a vibrant atmosphere. In Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, festival decorations are evident. Promotional activities have started for gifts including candies, nuts, dairy products and fruit, drawing customers. The villagers of Tantou in Wuyi county, Jinhua, Zhejiang province, make colorful taro dumplings to welcome the New Year. These dumplings, stuffed with diced mushrooms, shrimp, pork and scallions, are a traditional local delicacy. Many families also use their own taro, starch and wormwood, sage grass, dragon fruit, spinach, pumpkin and other plant juices to give them a local flavor. Shanghai has released a list of the top 50 destinations to ensure that people can have fun. In response to the theme of "Happy New Year in Shanghai", tourism companies have also launched a series of products with the Spring Festival theme.

Chinese people are embracing their most important festival this year with a variety of planned celebrations.