The Spring Festival, an occasion for family reunions, grew out of ancient harvest rituals and one of the earliest Chinese characters, "nian'' meaning "year.'' The character was shaped like a grain of rice.

The festival is traditionally celebrated with family dinners on the eve of the Chinese New Year, spring festival scrolls with antithetical couplets, New Year's paintings, fireworks, lantern shows, lion dances and other activities.

Rapid economic and social changes have had an impact on the traditional Spring Festival celebrations. Some customs have disappeared, while new trends are emerging to replace the old.

Fireworks have been officially banned in many cities in order to lessen air and noise pollution and to reduce loss and damage caused by fires.

With rapid economic growth, sumptuous feasts, another traditional characteristic of the holidays, are gradually losing their appeal.

Many say that the holidays are exhausting and that participating in obligatory, boring gatherings is a waste of time and money.

Meanwhile, the traditional family reunion is being challenged by changing concepts, advanced communications and ever quickening pace of life.

All these have made the Spring Festival less of "a big occasion,'' especially among young Chinese.

"The traditional Spring Festival is a combination of cultural and folk customs which requires the participation of all people,'' said Qiao Xiaoguang, professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Traditional Chinese festivals, including Spring Festival, have been simplified, therefore there is less interest in it, added Qiao.

"The traditional Spring Festival in China, which can be traced back 5,000 years, was a complex process of celebrations, which included sacrifices, cleaning houses, family reunions, eating, entertainment and so on,'' said Liu Kuili, a professor at Beijing Normal University.

Liu emphasized that the colorful activities that comprise Spring Festival were developed over thousands of years. He said modern industry cannot replace the customs created by the people.

Since the 1980s, the Spring Festival party broadcast by China Central Television has become the sole focus for most Chinese people on the eve of the Spring Festival.

"Regardless of how wonderful it is, it cannot replace the activities of ordinary people, which are the heart of New Year culture,'' said Qiao.

The charm, added Qiao, of Spring Festival lies in its rich diversity, which cannot survive without the participation of ordinary citizens.

(Xinhua News Agency February 6, 2003)