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PREPARING FOR THE SPRING FESTIVALOn December 23rd of the lunar calendar (which we call “xiao nian” or “little festival”), we begin to make preparations for the Spring Festival. On that day, it is the tradition to dust our apartments from the ceilings to the lowest corner so that we don't bring the dust into the new year. I would help my mom to clean all the pots, plates, pans, and utensils in the kitchen; scrub the floor with detergent; wash all the clothes, bed sheets, and towels by hand; and clean all the windows and doors. It is our biggest cleaning during the year, similar to spring cleaning in the United States. After we finished cleaning, we would go to the market to buy paper cuts to decorate our windows and doors. Paper cuts date back 2000 years or more, so there is a lot of tradition behind them. The most common color for paper cuts is red, which looks especially pretty when pasted on the windows. Paper cuts are available in a lot of styles, such as birds, flowers, and animals, but the most popular paper cuts are the signs of the Chinese zodiac. (Paper cuts can also be used for happy occasions like weddings. On my wedding day many years later, we hung white paper cuts with the word “xi,” which means “happy.” It was delightful to see because it matched my white bridal dress). In anticipation of the Chinese New Year, we also decorate with Spring Festival scrolls, which have a history that dates back at least as long as paper cuts. In addition to being holiday decorations, Spring Festival scrolls express our wishes for good fortune during the coming year. Spring Festival scrolls have rhyming poems written on them. It is not easy to compose a scroll, so most people will buy ones they like in the market. We paste them on each side of our doors and paste the title above the door. Spring Festival scrolls are written in golden or black on red paper in different styles of calligraphy. It is really lovely when every door is decorated with Spring Festival scrolls. We would also paste large pictures (around 30" x 40") called "nian hua" on the walls. I remember that my mom gave money to my brother and I to buy nian hua in the book store. There are all kinds of pictures you can use during the holidays, but the most popular pictures are of a big chubby baby boy, or of a girl holding a big carp, which symbolizes a surplus of food and money during the years to come.
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