KUNMING, April 15 (Xinhua) -- The Dai ethnic group in southwest China’s Yunnan Province has been busy     1     (celebrate) its New Year, with local Dai people and crowds of tourists observing a grand water-splashing festival. After being suspended (暂停) for three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic,     2     traditional water-sprinkling festival has come back.

The three-day festival, from Thursday to Saturday,     3     (regard) as the most important festival observed by the Dai people. During the festival, local people dress up and splash (泼) water on each other as a way     4     (express) good wishes and wash away all the bad luck from the previous year, thus beginning a new year of     5     (happy) and good fortune.

The water festival is celebrated by over 1.3 million Dai people living in China, mainly in Yunnan’s Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture     6     in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture. The Dai people live in the rich lowland agricultural     7     (area) along the major rivers such as the Mekong River. Their culture is much like Thai culture, and they are     8     (close) related to Thai. Along     9     lowland rice agriculture, the Dai grow rubber trees and specialty teas, especially the expensive Pu’er variety.

    10     (vary) activities were also staged during the festival, such as colorful dragon boat races and spectacular dance and musical performances.

6 . Best festival events in San Francisco

The perfect festival event in the Bay Area is waiting for you to celebrate.

Chinese Dumplings(Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, 6: 30 pm-8:30pm)

Tickets: $86+ $6 Fee(General Admission 1)

Location: 152-11 89th Avenue Queens, NY

Discover your passion about Chinese Dumplings in cooking class! Chef Raina will teach traditional shapes and folding techniques to wrap Chinese Dumplings. Receive Additional 15% Discount-Book Direct or Call us Today!

Coffee Festival(Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024)

Tickets: $58+$9.52 Fee

Location: Mason Center Festival Pavilion, 2 Marina Boulevard San Francisco

Get ready for an impressive coffee experience! Enjoy the unique atmosphere! Try the best beans and flavor with a soundtrack provided by live entertainment.

Pet Pictures with a Movie Star(Jan. 27, Feb. 3 & 10, 2024)

Tickets: $20+ $3.18 Fee(1 Pet 1 Picture)

Location: Expert Pet 1649 Ocean Avenue San Francisco

Expert Pet is proud to present a very special event this festival season. A movie star in a fancy dress will be in our shop three days! He shall be here from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Be sure to drop in on time to take your picture with a movie star.

Bone Jour Festival Feast(Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m.)

Tickets: $39+ $3.39 Fee

Location: Berber, 1516 Broadway San Francisco

Themed for the Spring Festival Season, enjoy an 8-course Chinese traditional feast. Bring your pet dog for our festival feast. Note: get puppy food for only a $10 add-on!

Ink as one of the Four Treasures of the Study (brush, ink, paper and inkstone), is a    1     (necessary) in Chinese painting and calligraphy. Ink is     2     (typical) produced from an ink stick with a little water. Ink stick, the solid form of ink, can last much longer than the liquid variety and is easier     3     (transport). The most famous ink sticks in China are the Hui Ink Sticks produced in Anhui Province. The Hui Ink Sticks use pine wood     4     its main raw ingredient,     5     is then mixed with another about 20 different materials. The manufacturing procedure includes lighting the smoke, blending the materials together, pressing the ink sticks, drying by airing, filling the margin     6     boxing them up. The ink produced from these sticks is shiny black. For centuries, the Hui Ink Sticks     7     (produce) through the traditional methods.     8     simple and single, ink sticks are essential in Chinese calligraphy and painting,     9     (present) the splendid artistic conceptions to people. What’s more, ink sticks make it possible that modern people today still can appreciate the masterpieces     10     (create) tens of centuries ago.

In some parts of northern China, “dikengyuan” in Mandarin, which means “ground hole courtyards,” is a type of cave dwellings (“yaodong”) commonly     1     (find) in the Loess Plateau in northern China. Academic literature mentions they came into     2     (exist) about 7,000 years ago.

The soil of the Loess Plateau,     3     these cave dwellings are built, is an effective substance that can keep people warm during the winter. More     4     (important), the yellow earth of the Loess is not only soft and easy     5     (dig) into, but also strong enough that it can hold together even without support.

While the size of the courtyard     6     (vary), the cave dwellings can go up to 12 meters long. After a ground hole is dug for the courtyard, the rooms     7     (carve) out from the four walls of the sunken courtyard.

Some scholars outside China consider the dwellings to be a natural adaptation to the climatic patterns in that region, with     8     (freeze) and long winters, and extremely burning summer heat.

While these houses have been around for thousands of years,     9     government only listed them as part of China’s intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

Many of these ancient homes, especially in the Shanzhou district of Sanmenxia City in China’s Henan province, have been restored and turned     10     tourist attractions.

International Friendship Day is a day when friends show     1    (appreciate) for one another.

In 1919, International Friendship Day     2    (found) by Hallmark. It was intended to be a day for people     3     (celebrate) their friendship by sending each other cards. By 1940 the market had dried up, and finally, it died out completely. In April 2011, the United Nations     4    (official) recognized 30th July as International Friendship Day, although most countries still celebrate it     5     the first Sunday of August!

On International Friendship Day, taking a trip together to celebrate is an excellent way to make the day all about each other. You can visit places     6     you first met or go to wherever you promised each other to go. With so many people     7    (live) such busy lives, however, not everyone can plan a big day out for each other. But that’s what makes International Friendship Day such a     8    (wonder) time. Best friends understand that life often gets in the way, so they won’t be upset if there’s no big celebration in their honor. Moreover, with     9     rise of social media, we become more     10    (connect) than ever before, so International Friendship Day just gives everyone the chance to get together.