the lantern festival Old, new customs to celebrate(2)

On the second day, married daughters should visit their parents, relatives and close friends. This tradition stems from the fact that married women had few opportunities to visit their birth parents in old times.

On the third day, people are supposed to stay home and have a good rest given the hustle and bustle on the previous two days. And it is regarded unlucky to receive guests or go visiting on the day in some parts of China.

OTHER CULTURAL SYMBOLS

In addition to the customs on specific days, there are also other interesting cultural symbols related to the festival.

First, Spring Festival couplets. The couplets are a pair of poetry celebrating the new year based on certain writing rules, which are usually pasted to both sides of doors before New Year's Eve.

Second, the Chinese character "fu" meaning good luck. The red diamond-shaped fu characters on the entrances of Chinese homes are usually seen hanging upside down, because the Chinese character "dao" meaning "arrival" has the same pronunciation with the one meaning "upside down."

Third, Miaohui, literally temple gatherings. Such events are usually held by folk temples for the worship of Chinese gods and immortals, with activities including rituals celebrated in the temples, opera or other performances by musical and ritual troupes, as well as various economic activities.

Fourth, Chunyun, or Spring Festival rush, as a new custom. Prior to the festival, hundreds of millions of Chinese return to their ancestral homes by train or air. Chinese travelers are predicted to make about 2.98 billion trips during the 2018 Spring Festival travel rush.

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