After dinner， some families may visit local temples hours before midnight to pray for success by lighting the first incense of the year;
“The Spring Couplet”， also called “couplet” and “a pair of antithetical phrases”， is a special form of literature in China. The Spring Couplet is composed of two antithetical sentences on both sides of the door and a horizontal scroll bearing an inscription， usually an auspicious phrase， above the gate. Whether the family is rich or poor， educated or ignorant， everyone must put on the Spring Couplet to symbolize the hopes for the coming new year.“春联”或“对联”对立在中国是一种特殊的文学形式。
Festive China is a series of short clips focusing on traditional Chinese festivals and festivities， the cultural connotations of traditional holidays， their development and changes， and how they manifest in today's China.
According to tales and legends， Chinese New Year started with a mythical beast called the Nian . The Nian would eat villagers， especially children in the middle of the night.One year， all the villagers decided to hide from the beast. An older man appeared before the villagers went into hiding and said that he would stay the night and would get revenge on the Nian. The old man put red papers up and set off firecrackers. The day after， the villagers came back to their town and saw that nothing had been destroyed. They assumed that the old man was a deity who came to save them. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red and loud noises.Then the tradition grew when New Year was approaching， and the villagers would wear red clothes， hang red lanterns， and red spring scrolls on windows and doors and used firecrackers and drums to frighten away the Nian. From then on， Nian never came to the village again.
春节是中国最盛大的节日，也是家庭团聚的日子。中国日报网2020年特别策划《话说中国节》系列短视频，围绕中国的传统节日和节气主题，以动画和实景结合的方式，介绍中国的传统文化，展现传统节日的发展与当代生活的融合。
