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春节对中国人意味着合家团聚热热闹闹过大年，从小年到正月十五，天天都有“节目”。来看看中国人过春节都有哪些习俗吧。
[Photo/CGTN]
The 23rd day of La Yue in north China and the 24th day of the month in south China are the Xiao Nian Festival on the Chinese lunar calendar. Xiao Nian is also called "Little (Chinese) New Year," symbolizing the start of the Spring Festival.
On this day, people usually do house-cleaning. It's said that most of the gods go back to heaven to state their work in the concluded year, so people can do the cleaning without disturbing or offending them.
中国北方的腊月二十三和南方的腊月二十四，俗称“小年”。
到了小年，各家各户都要打扫卫生。传说诸位神仙在腊月二十四日会上天去述职，这时候做大扫除不会打扰到他们。
[Photo/CGTN]
In our legends, the Jade Emperor, the ruler of the heaven, descend to earth to inspect the world on this day, to see if every household lives an honest, frugal, and diligent life. As traditional value leads, people who work hard but live poorly should be sympathized and rewarded. To show the frugality and pray for the emperor's reward, traditionally people make bean curd, or Tofu, cheap food in China.
In northeast China, people make a decent amount of Nian Dou Bao, a kind of bun made of glutinous millet stuffed with red bean paste. Nian Dou Bao is also a staple food during the Spring Festival.
腊月二十五，玉皇大帝会亲自下界，查察人间善恶疾苦，看各家各户是否如灶王所奏的那样勤勉节约，并定来年祸福。于是各家各户就做豆腐、吃豆腐渣以表示清苦，瞒过玉皇的惩罚，并降福来年。
中国北方人在这天还会做很多粘豆包，这种豆沙馅的包子是春节期间的传统食物。
[Photo/CGTN]
Many families typically eat pork and cook the meat. Other families, who don't raise pigs, go to the local fair for a hunk of meat. In the agrarian society in the past, people hardly have a chance to enjoy meat except for the Spring Festival. The meat also represents the biggest celebration throughout the year.
腊月二十六，杀猪割年肉，过去穷苦人家只有在春节期间才能吃到肉。
[Photo/CGTN]
Do the laundry, bathe or take a good shower. Those activities symbolize for washing off all the bad luck and potential illness in the upcoming Chinese New Year.
In places like Beijing and Tianjin, an old tradition is to eat a rooster. Most people prefer a rooster instead of hen because of its majestic looking, and believe it will bring good luck.
腊月二十七洗澡洗衣，象征着洗去所有的晦气和疾病。
京津一带的传统则是宰公鸡。传说吃公鸡能带来好运。
[Photo/CGTN]
It's a tradition to prepare in advance all staple food for the whole family to eat during the first week of Zheng Yue (the first month of the Lunar New Year). Usually, the staple food is flour-made because it's easy to store. The activity starts from 28th and may last for one or two days.
People from the north make steamed buns with leavened doughs, while people in the south prefer Year Cake, or Nian Gao, made by glutinous rice. The steamed buns can be in various shapes, including cute animals, flowers, etc.
到了二十八，家家户户开始发面做馍，准备过年的主食。北方人蒸馒头，南方人做年糕。有些人家还会做一些“花样馒头”。
[Photo/CGTN]
People in most of the areas get up early to sweep tombs for their ancestors and burn incense and joss papers in memorial of them. This is also a reflection of the traditional value "Xiao," or filial piety, in China.
腊月二十九，上坟请祖上大供。
[Photo/CGTN]
Finally, it's the Spring Festival Eve. This day is regarded as the most important day for family reunion throughout the year. Children who work or study outside the hometown, return home to celebrate the festival with their family.
The whole family enjoys a big feast at night while watching the Spring Festival gala. They stay up late and wait to ring in the New Year. A must-eat food is dumplings. Elders give kids red packets, or red envelopes, with cash in them.
In the days between 28th and 30th of La Yue, people also put on couplets on the gates, paper-cutting decorations on the windows, and New Year pictures on the walls of their homes to express their best wishes.
大年三十，全家团聚吃年夜饭，看春节晚会，还要“守岁”。家家户户吃饺子，长辈给小孩发红包。人们会在墙上贴年画，在门上贴对联，在窗户上贴窗花，表达美好的祝愿。
[Photo/CGTN]
Embracing the first day of the New Year, people visit friends and relatives' homes and make New Year's greetings to each other. They use auspicious words to pray for good luck in the New Year.
Gong Xi Fa Cai (congrats for being more prosperous and better off), Wan Shi Ru Yi (everything goes as you wish), Shen Ti Jian Kang (being fit and healthy) are among the most frequently used greeting terms.
大年初一，走亲访友拜年。经常说的吉利话有：恭喜发财、万事如意、身体健康。
[Photo/CGTN]
As married daughters traditionally spend the Spring Festival Eve with their husbands' families, on this day it's time to return to their original home and visit their families.
Today, this custom is weakened, since more people spend the eve of Chinese New Year in many different ways – not necessarily in their husbands' homes.
正月初二，嫁出门的闺女带着女婿一起走娘家。
[Photo/CGTN]
This day is called "Zheng Yue Shi Wu," or the Lantern Festival. Except for another warm family reunion, every household also hangs lanterns in front of the gate or on the balcony. It's also common to use colored lights to decorate the windows.
In some specially-held local lantern fair, there are riddles written on paper hanging under the lanterns. People can entertain themselves by guessing the answer of the riddles. A typical food on that day for northerners is Yuan Xiao, a ball-shaped dessert made with glutinous rice. Southerners eat Tang Yuan, a similar meal made by different techniques.
正月十五元宵节，挂灯笼，猜灯谜。北方人吃元宵，南方人吃汤圆。
（英文来源：CGTN 编译：丹妮）