3 . Some Christmas traditions are pretty standard in mainstream（主流）American culture: put up the tree, string up the lights, visit grandma, and so on.

Then there’s the one my Colombian family does every year: the Novena de Aguinaldos. We pray（祈祷）for nine days without a stop, and this Novena counts down the nine days before Christmas. Most Americans have never heard of it, but in Colombia, it’s a big deal.

Like all good traditions, especially around the holidays, this tradition is about community and getting together with friends and family. My family immigrated（移民）from Colombia when I was just two months old. Every year, we gather with a group of Colombian friends for as many of the nine nights as we can.

There are three parts to the Novena de Aguinaldos. The first is the reading: each kid takes turns to read a book. Next comes the gozos, which means “The Joys”. That’s where the music comes in, and everyone gets an instrument, a maraca, a drum, a tin can—whatever you can use to make a sound. And then, the villancicos——Spanish Christmas carols（颂歌）come.

I’ve lived my whole life in the US. There’s not a lot of Colombian culture that we still hang onto. Why do we still carry on with the tradition of celebrating the Novenas, then?

When I asked my parents the other day, the answer was that immigrants didn’t belong anywhere—not where you were, nor where you were from. So my parents helped create a space where we did. Even if the Novenas were nothing like what we might have celebrated if we’d stayed in Colombia, the Novenas became the heart of our community.

But our Novenas are starting to feel a little more breakable. It’s getting harder and harder for everyone to get together each year. Last year, I was studying abroad in Italy and couldn’t make it to any gathering; my brother went off to college and had exams late into December; my sister just moved to a new city, and my parents have taken up jobs in different countries.

Hanfu has experienced large     1     (grow) during the Spring Festival. The horse face skirt is     2     (particular) popular for its combination (结合) of traditional and modern beauty, especially among young Chinese.

During the Spring Festival, many performers and tourists in Luoyang, Henan province,     3     (wear) the horse face skirts. Impressive hanfu shows in Caoxian county, Shandong province, highlighted (凸显) the elegance of the long tradition of Chinese clothing. Consumers (消费者)     4     were interviewed expressed their wish     5     (promote) traditional Chinese culture.

The sales of horse face skirts are rising. Caoxian county is one of the major hanfu production     6     (base) in China, with sales of hanfu reaching over 7 billion yuan every year. The sales of new year’s clothes for the Year of the Dragon, mainly horse face skirts, were more than 300 million yuan in Caoxian county.

Data from e-commerce platforms (电商平台) show a great increase in the search for hanfu since January. Among the various hanfu styles, the horse face skirt has become     7     most popular one.

Zhang Mingqiang, the general manager of a factory, expressed both happiness and concern due     8     the growing daily orders (订单). So far more than 30,000 orders for horse face skirts     9     (put) off by the factory, which is taking measures to improve production     10     to meet the high demand. The new trend of Chinese-style fashion, led by horse face skirts, is gaining popularity among overseas consumers as well.

The traditional Chinese calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Jingzhe (惊蛰),   or Awakening of Insects,     1     (fall) on March 5 and ends on March 20 this year.

The solar term signals a rise in temperature and increased rainfall,     2     (mark) the third solar term in the solar year. Its name alludes to (暗指) the awakening of animals     3     (sleep) in winter and everything beginning to come back     4     life.

Jingzhe is an extremely important time for farmers and     5     (see) as the beginning of the busiest time for agricultural work. Old Chinese     6     (say) such as “once Jingzhe comes, spring plowing (春耕) never rests” reveal the importance of this term to farmers. During this period, most parts of China experience a rapid increase in temperatures and a marked increase in sunshine,     7     provide the ideal conditions for farming activities.

Eating pears around Awakening of Insects is     8     widely practiced custom in China. One theory behind the practice is that as the Chinese word for “pear” sounds the same as the character meaning “to leave”, consuming pears during this solar term showed people’s wish to drive away pests from crops so that there would be a good harvest throughout the year.     9       (additional), according to theories of traditional Chinese medicine, the sweet, juicy and cold fruit can be good for the lungs     10     (prevent) coughs as the weather warms up and the air becomes dry.

10 . Of all the Chinese 24 solar terms, Clear and Bright (清明) is the only one whose first day is also a traditional Chinese festival, the Qingming Festival. The words “clear” and “bright” describe the weather during this period. Temperatures begin to rise and rainfall increases, making it an important time for growing crops in the spring. As is known, it is a time to worship ancestors, however, here are several things you may not know about Clear and Bright.

Spring Outings

Not only is it a period to honor the dead, but it is also time for people to go out and enjoy nature. As trees turn green, flowers blossom, and the sun shines brightly, everything returns to life. It is a fine time to appreciate the beauty of nature.

Flying Kites

Flying kites is an activity favored by many Chinese during Tomb-Sweeping Day. Kites are not only flown during the day time but also in the evening. Little lanterns are tied to the kites. And when the kites are flying in the sky, the lanterns look like twinkling stars at night. What makes flying kites during this day special is that people cut the string while the kite is in the sky to let it fly freely. It is said that this brings good luck and that diseases can be chased away by doing this.

Cuju

Cuju is an interesting game played during this period. Ju is a ball made of leather with hairs plugged in it. Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor first invented it for training warriors. Later, Cuju was used by people to build up their bodies when they were unable to eat hot food during the Cold Food Festival.

Feasting on Qingtuan

In the lower parts of the Yangtze River region, qingtuan is very popular on Tomb-Sweeping Day. Qingtuan is a kind of round green cake. In order to make the cakes, people mash (捣碎) barnyard grass (艾草) to squeeze juice from it and mix the flour and juice to a paste. Then they put fillings into the paste and steam them. Pretty and delicate, qingtuan has a special flavor.