Chinese New Year (known as the Spring Festival) is fast approaching and the holiday season is here! The Spring Festival is the most elaborate, lively and important one of all the Chinese festivals. This is a time for the Chinese to congratulate each other on having passed through another year, while also looking forward to the next twelve happy and prosperous months.

In 2009, the Chinese New Year will start from 26th of January and be celebrated for about fifteen days. Although with the changing times the celebration of Chinese New Year has undergone some changes, many people still very fervently follow all the traditions and customs.
 
China has so much to offer during the festival. On the New Year eve, the whole China with one fifth of the world's population will be sleepless, and the most massive, crazy, tremendous firework show on this planet will light up the country's night. The sound of firecrackers and fireworks could last for a whole night. From the New Year day and last for two weeks, a series of dazzling Chinese-style carnivals such as temple fairs, flower fairs, and lion dance performances etc., will be seen through out whole China from big cities to remote countryside. There are also numerous fun things to do during the time. If you visit a Chinese family, very likely the hospitable householders will invite you to a family New Year feast, making and eating dumplings together, and pasting red couplets that bring you good fortune in the year to come.

The New Year celebrations will end on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month (February 9th) with the Lantern Festival. On the evening of that day, Chinese people carry lanterns into the streets to take part in a great parade. Young men will highlight the parade with a dragon dance. The dragon is made of bamboo, silk, and paper, and might stretch for more than hundred feet in length. The bobbing and weaving of the dragon is an impressive sight, and forms a spectacular finish to the New Year festival. Once you take apart into the celebration scene, you will be amazed how passionate Chinese treat this traditional festival.

This is absolutely the best time to enjoy an original and genuine China. Travelling to China during the Spring Festival will leave you an incredibly lively and memorable holiday experience!