th spring fstival is th most important fstival for th chins popl and is whn all family mmbrs gt togthr, just lik christmas in th wst. all popl living away from hom go back, bcoming th busist tim for transportation systms of about half a month from th spring fstival. airports, railway stations and long-distanc bus stations ar crowdd with hom rturns.th spring fstival falls on th 1st day of th 1st lunar month, oftn on month latr than th grgorian calndar. it originatd in th shang dynasty (c. 1600 bc-c. 1100 bc) from th popl's sacrific to gods and ancstors at th nd of an old yar and th bginning of a nw on.strictly spaking, th spring fstival starts vry yar in th arly days of th 12th lunar month and will last till th mid 1st lunar month of th nxt yar. of thm, th most important days ar spring fstival v and th first thr days. th chins govrnmnt now stipulats popl hav svn days off for th chins lunar nw yar.many customs accompany th spring fstival. som ar still followd today, but othrs hav waknd.on th 8th day of th 12th lunar month, many familis mak laba porridg, a dlicious kind of porridg mad with glutinous ric, millt, sds of job's tars, jujub brris, lotus sds, bans, longan and gingko.th 23rd day of th 12th lunar month is calld prliminary v. at this tim, popl offr sacrific to th kitchn god. now howvr, most familis mak dlicious food to njoy thmslvs.aftr th prliminary v, popl bgin prparing for th coming nw yar. this is calld "sing th nw yar in".stor ownrs ar busy thn as vrybody gos out to purchas ncssitis for th nw yar. matrials not only includ dibl oil, ric, flour, chickn, duck, fish and mat, but also fruit, candis and kinds of nuts. what's mor, various dcorations, nw cloths and shos for th childrn as wll as gifts for th ldrly, frinds and rlativs, ar all on th list of purchasing.bfor th nw yar coms, th popl compltly clan th indoors and outdoors of thir homs as wll as thir cloths, bdcloths and all thir utnsils.thn popl bgin dcorating thir clan rooms faturing an atmosphr of rjoicing and fstivity. all th door panls will b pastd with spring fstival couplts, highlighting chins calligraphy with black charactrs on rd papr. th contnt varis from hous ownrs' wishs for a bright futur to good luck for th nw yar. also, picturs of th god of doors and walth will b postd on front doors to ward off vil spirits and wlcom pac and abundanc.th chins charactr "fu" (maning blssing or happinss) is a must. th charactr put on papr can b pastd normally or upsid down, for in chins th "rvrsd fu" is homophonic with "fu coms", both bing pronouncd as "fudaol." what's mor, two big rd lantrns can b raisd on both sids of th front door. rd papr-cuttings can b sn on window glass and brightly colord nw yar paintings with auspicious manings may b put on th wall.