The Water-Splashing Festival, also     1     (know) as Buddha Bathing Ceremony, is the New Year’s celebration of the Dai ethnic minority in Yunnan Province. For Dai people, the annual Water-Splashing Festival is the most important holiday, attracting tens of thousands of locals and     2     (tour).

Jinghong, the capital of Dai Autonomous Prefecture, usually     3     (celebrate) it from Aprill3 to 15. On the first two days, a grand celebration marks the beginning of the festival. An outdoor market is set up,     4     locals come for new-year shopping. At night, the banks of the river are     5     (colorful) lit, and locals float river lanterns on the river. The third day     6     (reserve) for water splashing. The Dai people will put     7     their newest and best clothes, and then gather at the local Buddhist temple. It isn’t until people splash the Buddha statue with clear water     8     they can flock to the streets, parks or squares with pots or bottles, to splash each other with water.

For Dai people, water is     9     symbol of holiness, goodness and purity. Therefore, splashing others with water during the Water-Splashing Festival is     10     (wish) that person good luck and happiness.

The Lantern Festival falls on the first full moon of the new lunar year. The Festival, with     1     history of over 2,000 years,     2    (date) back to the Han Dynasty. The festival originates from an Act, released by Emperor Wendi of the Western Han Dynasty,     3     (honor) deities (神明) and ancestors with lantern displays.

A large quantity of customs and traditions are associated with the Lantern Festival, one of     4     is the lighting of Lanterns that     5     (display) in different shapes and sizes. In many northern parts of China, grand lantern displays featuring diverse sizes and themes, create an attractive scene,     6    , in the south, the tradition of floating lanterns offers a beautiful gesture of releasing the past to embrace the future. More than just a visual feast, the lanterns are part of China’s intangible cultural heritage, representing hope and renewal as they light up the     7     (dark) to welcome the new year.

    8     important tradition is the solving of lantern riddles. Lantern owners write riddles on pieces of paper and attach them to their lanterns while festival-goers of all ages stroll among the lights, trying to solve these riddles.     9     (basic), successful solvers often receive gifts, adding to the festive atmosphere.

The cultural celebration has successfully extended beyond traditional foods     10     the way people prepare for the festival.

Lantern festivals add magic to     1     (celebrate) and their designs are deeply inspired by traditional culture. Shortly after organizing the lantern carnival in Hong Kong on Sept 24, Wan Songtao and his team hurried back to their hometown of Zigong in Sichuan province, where another grand lantern show was on the cards.

“The older I grow, the more     2     (attach) I become to lantern making” the 54 year old craftsman tells China Daily Early in     3     morning, Wan went to inspect work at Chinese Lantern World,     4     on Sept 27 was transformed into an ocean of light and color by massive lanterns in the shape of humans, flowers, animals and buildings, made to celebrate both the Mid Autumn Festival     5     the National Day.

“For this lantern fair, we derived inspiration from ancient Chinese poems,” Wan says, adding that Tianshang Gongque (the moon palace), a centerpiece as well as one of 21 core lantern installations ( 装 置) at the fair,     6     (inspire) by Su   Dongpo’s The Mid-Autumn Festival. The installation, which was composed of 19 palace style     7     (structure), stretched 270 meters and     8     (rise) high into the sky, drawing visitors’ eyes up to a “full moon”, a round LED screen showing Chang’e, goddess of the moon, flying toward her palace.

The eight-day holiday attracted over 210,000 visitors from around China to Zigong, a city which is     9     (remote) situated in the southwest of China but is home     10     one of the world’s best lantern shows.

Tibetan New Year, the most important festival in Tibet,     1     (typical) falls in February or March. This festive season is a time of renewal and optimism,     2     (mark) the start of the Tibetan lunar calendar. The celebrations include a wide range of customs that reflect the unique culture     3     reveal the identity of the Tibetan people.

Before the     4     (arrive) of the New Year, Tibetans engage in thorough cleaning of their homes and surroundings. This practice is to get rid of the negativity     5     might have gathered in the previous year.

During the celebrations, Tibetans fully enjoy delicious     6     (feast) with their family and friends. Traditional dishes such as momos, a type of steamed dumpling, and Tibetan butter tea,     7     (make) from yak butter and tea leaves, are served. Also, sweet treats like Tibetan butter cookies and dried fruit     8     (enjoy). Villagers dance around bonfires, singing and playing traditional instruments.

The celebrations generally end up     9     the Chunga Choepa ceremony. People gather in public spaces while offering food and drinks to the gods. This is followed by the ceremony of throwing Tsampa, a roasted barley flour, into the air as     10     symbol of letting go of the past year and embracing new beginnings.

Caius and Laurina could be the world’s thriftiest couple after     1     (tie) the knot in their all expenses spared wedding. The couple had their dream wedding in Scotland complete with flowers, cakes, photographer and even a jazz band without     2     (bare) spending a cent.

The couple,     3     are into recycling and self-sufficiency, couldn’t avoid the 70 pound     4     (marry) fee but everything else was either donated or found for free. The wedding rings were even handcrafted by the bride herself from antlers(鹿角)     5     (find) in her garden while her vintage wedding dress cost ￡1 or $1.50- the couple’s only other expense.

His mother Suzanne, who is     6     church reader, conducted the ceremony in a barn at the couple’s home while the guests were all asked     7     (bring) a plate of food each. The bride, 36, and groom, 39,     8     (pronounce) man and wife by local reverend (牧师) who offered his services for free, while the photographer offered his services in exchange     9     some graphic design work by the bride, and the cakes were made by her aunt. They said they were determined to have the     10     (cheap) wedding possible so they could save money for their dream home and honeymoon.

World Environment Day is held each year on June 5. It is one of the main ways in which the United Nations (UN)     1     (promote) worldwide awareness of the environment. Being the biggest global day     2     (intend) for positive environmental action, it is     3     (wide) celebrated in different countries and also     4     different ways. Activities include street parades, as well as concerts, tree planting, and clean-up campaigns. In many countries, it is a day     5     people from all walks of life come together to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter outlook for     6     (them) and future generations.

World environment Day     7     (establish) by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. It is hosted every year by     8     different city and honored with an international exposition through the week of June 5.

The main colors for this event are natural colors     9     (represent) nature, the earth and its natural resources. These colors are often softer     10     (shade) of green, brown and blue. Images of the earth’s features, such as snowy mountains, clean beaches and unpolluted rivers, are used to improve campaigns supporting the day.