The Spring Festival is the most important festival for Chinese and is the time that all family members get together, just like Christmas in the Western. People who living away from home goes back, it is the busiest period for transport through the year and last about half a month from the Spring Festival. Airports, railway stations and long-distance bus stations are crowded with people who desire about going home.

The Spring Festival falls on the 1st January on lunar calendar. Usually, it is one month later than the Gregorian calendar. It was originated in the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BC-c. 1100 BC) for people's sacrifice to gods and ancestors at the end of old year and pray for a better year at the beginning of the year.

Strictly speaking, the Spring Festival starts every year in the early days of the 12th lunar month and last till the mid 1st lunar month of the next year. Of them, the most important days are Spring Festival Eve and the first three days afterwards. Nowadays, people have seven days off for the Chinese Lunar New Year which stipulates by the Chinese government

On the 8th of the 12th lunar month, many families make laba porridge. It is a delicious kind of porridge made with glutinous rice, millet, seeds of Job's tears, jujube berries, lotus seeds, beans, longan and gingko. And on the same month, the 23rd is called Preliminary Eve. At this time, people offer sacrifice to the kitchen god, and also it is time for the poor to make delicious food which they can not eat often. After that, people begin preparing for the coming New Year. This is called "Seeing the New Year in".

Store owners were busy then as everybody goes out to purchase necessities for the New Year. It has a long list to go with. For example, for the food part, it not only includes edible oil, rice, flour, chicken, duck, fish and meat, but also fruit and various nuts. Further more, it should be some new clothes and shoes for the children as well as gifts for the elderly, friends and relatives.

Before the New Year comes, people clean the indoors and outdoors of their homes completely as well as their clothes, bedclothes and all their utensils. Then they start decorating rooms featuring for atmosphere of rejoicing and festivity. All the door panels will be pasted with Spring Festival couplets which highlighting Chinese calligraphy with black characters on red paper. The content varies from house owners' wishes for a bright future to good luck for the New Year. Also, pictures of the god of doors and wealth will be posted on the front doors to ward off evil spirits and welcome peace and abundance.

The Chinese zodiac consists of a twelve-year cycle, with each year corresponding to a different animal. They are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Chinese believe people's characters are determined to some extent by the corresponding animal.