The Lantern Festival, falling in the first Chinese lunar month, is an important and traditional festival     1     (celebrate) by people nationwide. It is the first time that people     2    (see) the full moon in the lunar year. In ancient China, night is called Xiao and the first lunar month is called Yuan month, so this festival is also called the Yuanxiao Festival in China. It marks the end of the celebration of the Spring Festival and is also the first major festival for people     3    (observe) after Chinese New Year. 

Like the Spring Festival, on the Lantern Festival, all the family members go home     4     a reunion. In the evening, people usually watch beautiful lanterns, guess interesting and     5    (challenge) lantern riddles and perform wonderful dragon dances. In     6    (add), it is a custom for people to eat yuanxiao, a kind of sweet dumpling,     7     is round balls made of glutinous rice flour with     8    (vary) of fillings inside. In some places people sometimes put a coin into a certain one when making sweet dumplings. It is believed that the one who     9     (happen) to find and eat the sweet dumpling with a coin in     10     will have good luck for the whole year.

Valentine’s Day in China

It is really difficult to know the exact time    1     Western Valentine’s Day was introduced into China. However, Western Valentine’s Day is     2     (wide) celebrated in urban areas where there are a lot of commercial events, especially in big cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Valentine’s Day is not so popular in small towns, small     3     (city) and the countryside.  

So far, Chinese people    4     (accept) the tradition of Westerners’ celebrating Valentine’s Day, such as     5     (exchange) gifts, having a romantic dinner, watching a movie in the evening or even registering a marriage if Valentine’s Day falls on a workday.  

On this day, larger amounts of chocolate will be on sale in supermarkets,    6     compared with the case in the ordinary days, cinemas will be much     7     (busy) and the price of flowers can also be a lot higher. Many restaurants will have special menus, especially those in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. If you want to have a smooth     8     (celebrate) on Valentine’s Day, remember     9     (make) reservations as far in advance as you can.  

Chinese people have also made some changes to the Western way of celebrating Valentine’s Day. For some couples, the husband may prepare a hearty dinner or buy a fancy gift     10     his wife on this day to show his gratitude.