unit 1 festi vals around the world the spring festival the first day of the first lunar m o nth is the new year in the chinese lunar calendar. among the traditional chinese festivals, this is the most impor tant and the most bustling①. since it occurs at the end of winter and the beginning of spring, people also call it“the spring festival”. new year's eve is the time for a happy reunion② of all family members, when they sit around the table to have a sumptuous③ new year's eve dinner, talking and laughing, until daybreak, which is called “staying up to see the year out”. when the bell tolls midnight on new year's eve, people eat dumplings. in ancient times, midnight was called zishi. dumplings (jiaozi) are eaten because it sounds the same as “change of the year and the day” in chinese. from the first day of the luna r year, people pay new year calls on relatives and friends, which is an important custom for the spring festival. setting o ff firecrackers is the favorite activity of children in the spring festival. according to legend, this could drive off evil spirits. the continuous sound of firecrackers can be heard everywhere, adding to the atmosphere of rejoicing④ and festivity. many places hold temple fairs. the w onderful dragon lantern dance and the lion dance performances, along w ith vario us handicraft articles and local snacks attract thousands of people. with the development of the times, some changes have taken place in the customs of spending the spring festival. for example, to prevent environmental pollution, many cities have banned firecrackers. but this does not have an impact on the happy atmosphere of the festival . on new year's eve, family members still get together to have dinner while watching tv programs. for chinese at home and abroad, the spring festival is always the most important festival. 春节 农历的正月初一，是中国的农历新年。在中国的传统节日中，这是一个最重要、最热闹的节日。因为过农历新年的时候，正是冬末春初，所以
