The water town of Wuzhen in Tongxiang, Zhejiang province, holds a series of activities full of local elements during the Spring Festival from January to February.

The most interesting part includes a water market on boats     1     people sell local delicious food such as spicy salted ducks, smoked sausage, local wine, fruits and lanterns, It leaves a good     2     (impress) on visitors. About 1, 300 years ago, people in the town began building houses along rivers across the town, and boats     3     (obvious) became the main vehicles in their daily life.

The ancient town has also kept     4     (it) tradition of putting many dining tables together to form a long table on holidays and people of the town eat together     5     (celebrate) a reunion. Tourists are warmly invited to take part     6     such kind of long table dining activities featuring hotpot and local liquor during the festival.

The water town holds a large drama festival and     7     (organize) art shows every year. Spring Festival galas, theater plays and art shows     8     (present) during this holiday. The town is about a two-hour drive from Shanghai and     9     (tourist) from across the nation are     10     (amaze) at the local celebration.

3 . Festivals Around the World

Saint Patrick’s Day

Time: March 17

Place: Ireland

Saint Patrick’s Day is the traditional death date of Saint Patrick. In Ireland, celebrations include parades as well as dressing in green. The limitation on eating and drinking alcohol (酒)is canceled for the day, which has resulted in the holiday’s tradition of having various foods and drinking alcohol.

San Fermin Festival

Time: July 6-14

Place: Pamplona, Spain

The most famous event during the San Fermin Festival is the Encierro, or the Running of the Bulls (公牛), where the bulls are led through the street to the bull ring by runners at 8: 00 from 7 to 14 July. The week-long celebration includes many other traditions and events—you may also find yourself covered with flour and eggs and the streets are filled with music and dancing.

Burning Man

Time: Last Monday in August until the first Monday in September

Place: Black Rock City, Nevada, USA

You are expected to bring everything you will need for that week and you won’t spend money once you’re there and will take your rubbish with you when you leave. Over 60,000 people attend every year.

Oktoberfest

Time: 16 days from late August until the first weekend of September

Place: Munich, Germany

More than 6 million people from around the world attend Oktoberfest every year and drink large amounts of beer which has been made from 6 breweries (啤酒厂) in Munich. Attendees hang out in large beer tents dressed in Bavarian costumes and there are amusement rides and traditional foods.

5 . Of the many colorful Romanian traditions that are brought to life every year, the Bear Dance is one of the most inspiring. This folk tradition dates back to thousands of years ago.

Traditionally, the arrival of the “bears” is announced by a small group of “irozi”, who blow whistles (口哨) to a rhythm set by the head bear tamer (训兽师). Chosen for his leadership skills, the head tamer is the one who decides when each of the acts is played and gives the cues.

The “bears” dance to the beat set by the pan flutes (排萧) and the drums, after practicing for up to three months before the day of the ceremony. Wearing the special costumes requires strength and must be handled with confidence, to look fierce, with the heaviest of costumes weighing up to 50 kilos.

When the person wearing the costume is standing up straight, the “bear” looks up. During the dance, the wearer must bend forward and shake his or her body to the left and to the right while taking small steps either to the front or to the side.

Taking place every winter in villages and cities in Romania’s eastern region of Moldova, the Bear Dance symbolizes the death and rebirth of time. The Bear Dance sees men of all ages, and increasingly more women, who are dressed in real bear skins and dance to the rhythm of pan flutes and drums to drive off evil spirits and ring in the new year. Performed between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, this ancient ritual brings together the whole community, who gather to watch the performance.

By tradition, the procession of the Bear Dance, which includes 6 to 24 “bears”, would visit every family of the village, accompanied by up to three singing bear tamers, several characters wearing women’s clothes and drummers. While this tradition is still observed in many villages, in cities and towns it usually takes the form of a parade that takes place at the end of a major performance in the center.

6 . In Britain. Boxing Day is usually celebrated on December 26th, which is the following day after Christmas Day. However, strictly speaking. Boxing Day is the first weekday after Christmas. Like Christmas Day, Boxing Day is a public holiday. This means it’s a non-working day in the whole of Britain. When Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is the public holiday.

The exact origin (起源) of the holiday is unclear. One of the thoughts is that during the Middle Ages, when great sailing ships were setting off to discover new land, a Christmas Box was placed by a priest on each ship. Those sailors who wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box. It was sealed up and kept on board until the ship came home safely. Then the box was handed over to the priest in the exchange for the saying of a Mass of thanks for the success of the sailing. The priest wouldn’t open it to share the contents with the poor until Christmas.

One more thought is about the “Alms Box” placed in every church on Christmas Day. Worshippers (做礼拜的人) put gifts for the poor into it. These boxes were always opened the day after Christmas, that is why that day became know as Boxing Day.

Today, many businesses, organizations and families try to keep the traditional spirit of Boxing Day alive by donating their time, services and money to aid Food Banks, providing gifts for the poor, or helping families in need. Besides, spending time with family and shopping are popular Boxing Day activities now.