1 . Many people have close relationships with their cousins and form bonds that last a lifetime. National Cousins Day can be a great opportunity to spend time with some of your favorite people in the family.     1    .

What is National Cousins Day?

National Cousins Day is an annual holiday that takes place on July 24. It encourages people to spend time with and appreciate their cousins.     2    , it's easy to lose touch as you grow older. On National Cousins Day, you might reconnect with cousins and look back on happy family memories together. National Cousins Day also serves as a good excuse to hang out and have fun with some of your closest family members.

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The origin of National Cousins Day is a bit of a mystery. It's unclear how and when the holiday officially started. Nevertheless, cousins have been an important part of the American family for generations. In the past, the bonds between cousins were explored in TV shows and movies in a lighthearted and funny way. And now, from family reunions to summer cookouts, cousins are given the chance to bond with one another.

How to Celebrate National Cousins Day

    4    . We've listed a few ways you can enjoy a happy Cousins Day. A good old-fashioned barbecue can bring back memories of the days when you and your cousins were little kids, running around and causing mischief together.     5    . Organize a game of soccer with your cousins to get some fresh air and exercise. This activity works especially well if you have a lot of cousins.

4 . The Lantern Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. This is the first full moon of the new year, symbolizing unity and perfection. Lantern festival is an important part of spring festival, and marks the official end of the long holiday.

There are two legends(传说) about the origins of Lantern Festival.According to one legend, once in ancient times, a swan was shot down by a hunter. The emperor decided to avenge(替...报仇) the swan. He started to send the soldiers with orders to burn all humans and animals. But the other swans disagreed with this action, and risked their lives to save people on earth. As a result, before and after the fifteenth day of the first month, every family hung red lanterns outside, giving the impression that their homes were already burning. By successfully tricking, human was saved from extinction.

According to the second legend, during the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, a palace woman named Yuanxiao was prevented from visiting her parents on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Sadly, she said she would kill herself. In order to help Yuanxiao, the scholar Dongfang Shuo told Emperor Wu that the jade emperor had ordered the fire god to burn down the capital city on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. Anxiously, the emperor asked Dongfang Shuo what he should do. Dongfang Shuo advised that the streets be hung with red lanterns. And everyone would go to view the lanterns. In this way, the fire god would be distracted and disaster would end. The emperor followed Dongfang Shuo’s advice, and while everyone was out viewing the lanterns, Yuanxiao left the palace in secret and reunited with her parents.

Although the above stories are quite fantastical, it is sure that the origins of the Lantern Festival are related to ancient humanity’s use of fire to celebrate festivals and avoid disaster.Over time, the Lantern Festival gradually turned into its present form.