杨艳鑫

春节是中国人一年当中最隆重、热闹的传统节日，也是与亲朋好友团聚的重要时刻。随着社会发展与时代进步，大家对春节的向往似乎不及以前，人们过年的习俗也发生了巨大变化。但是春节的意义对于每一个中国人来说都是不曾改变的。

The Chinese Spring Festival is coming

soon. The Spring Festival， commonly known as Chinese Lunar New Year， is the most important festival for Chinese people.

The Chinese people always spend several days preparing abundant food for family reunion dinner and buying sweets and fruits to entertain guests. During the holiday， they will visit relatives and friends with gifts. The festival will last till the 15th of the first lunar month.

With the development of economy and technology， the Spring Festival has undergone many changes. But many people complain that the festive atmosphere is fading.

Some say the attraction of Lunar New Years Eve dinner is not as strong as before because of improved living standards. In particular， people who live in Chinese coastal areas and urban cities become richer that they can enjoy big meals at ordinary times. They prefer to eat out instead of cooking at home on New Years Eve.

Some of the Spring Festival customs have changed. In the past， the Chinese people used to wear their new clothes in the holiday. Elders gave younger generations “red envelope”—a gift with a sum of money in red packets， delivering their best wishes.

But now， it is possible to distribute virtual（虛拟的）red envelopes of money by smart phones. Its more convenient and funny， but at the same time， there is lack of the milk of human kindness（人情味）.

In the past， most of Chinese people preferred to gather together at home， watching the CCTV （China Central Television） Spring Festival Gala on Lunar New Years Eve. Today， people have plenty of choices. Many youngsters in China are transfixed（使动弹不得） by the light of mobile phone screens and other electronic pro⁃ducts. They are addicted to computer games and disdain（不屑） to look up at the television programs.

No matter how the Spring Festival customs change， the significance of the Spring Festival for the Chinese people remains unchanged. Their wishes for family reunion and happy life are also unchanged.