The Lunar New Year is a major holiday in several Asian countries. And people celebrate over several days or even weeks. It is 【小题1】 (wide) known as the Spring Festival in China, Tet in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea. Because the holiday is based on the moon, it falls somewhere 【小题2】 the end of January and the end of February.

The lunar calendar is based on 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac (生肖). They are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. In the Vietnamese zodiac, the cat 【小题3】 (replace) the rabbit and the buffalo is in place of the ox. For 2024, it is the year of the dragon for both.

One well-known ancient story speaks of Nian, 【小题4】 terrible monster that eats human flesh on New Year’s Day. But Nian has three fears 【小题5】 weaken him. He fears the color red, loud noises and fire. So, the Lunar New Year 【小题6】 (activity) include putting up red paper dragons on the doors of homes. People also light red lanterns all night and set off firecrackers 【小题7】 (scare) away the monster.

Nowadays, the Lunar New Year celebration is centered on 【小题8】 (remove) bad luck and welcome all that is good and successful. Red 【小题9】 (consider) as a lucky color to ring in a new year. In many Asian cultures, the color symbolizes a good future and 【小题10】 (happy). People wear red clothing, decorate their homes with red paper lanterns and use red envelopes to present loved ones with gifts of money.

Miss Zhang, a Chinese student from Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada, has made a splash (引起关注) online by wearing hanfu — 【小题1】 (tradition) Chinese clothing — at her graduation ceremony. Her bold choice mixed Chinese designs 【小题2】 Western gown. 【小题3】 (decorate) with shoulder accessories and long sleeves, the cap and gown looked delicate and elegant. She not only “did in Canada as the Canadians do”, but also showed 【小题4】 (she) cultural confidence. Compliments 【小题5】 (pour) in after the student shared the video capturing her glamorous (富有魅力的) moment on her graduation day, with many netizens 【小题6】 (say) her hanfu choice was certainly a confident display of Chinese culture. Overwhelmed, 【小题7】 girl from Xi’an, Shaanxi province, thanked her admirers for the Internet attention, and said that wearing hanfu does not 【小题8】 (necessary) make one feel confident — it is the 【小题9】 (believe) from within in the beauty and strengths of our nation 【小题10】 makes us confident.

The Lantern Festival, a significant festival in China, falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month.

One of this day’s important activities is watching lanterns. During the Han Dynasty, one emperor gave the order【小题1】(light) lanterns to show respect for Buddha on this day. Later, it 【小题2】(develop) into a grand festival among the common people. Today, the Lantern Festival【小题3】(observe) each year around the country. Various lanterns are hung in the streets. Children hold lanterns to stroll(闲逛) along the streets,【小题4】(extreme) excited.

Guessing lantern riddles is 【小题5】important part of the festival. Whoever has right solutions will get a little gift. As riddle guessing is interesting and full 【小题6】wisdom, it has become popular.

People eat yuanxiao on this day. Yuanxiao has another name, tangyuan, 【小题7】in Chinese has a similar pronunciation with tuanyuan 【小题8】(mean) reunion.

In the daytime of the festival, some 【小题9】(performance) such as the dragon dance and the lion dance are staged. In the night, people become really 【小题10】(joy) at lanterns of various shapes and sizes and the bright moon in the sky.