Spring Festival, or China"s lunar New Year, has traditionally been an auspicious and jubilant occasion for the Chinese people all over the world. Roughly a month or so behind the calendar New Year, it is not only a time to bid farewell to the old days and ring in a new life with renewed hope and expectations, but also a time to break from a year of hard work, for long-awaited family reunions, sumptu-ous feasts, fun outings, as well as for the observance of various folk customs and cultural traditions in urban and rural areas alike.