California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday signed legislation that makes Chinese Lunar New Year a state holiday. The move recognizes the diversity of cultures which Asian Americans have brought to California, the third     1     (large) state in the US.

The legislation lets any state employee take eight hours of vacation, annual leave or compensatory leave     2     (celebrate) Chinese New Year.

In a     3     (sign) letter, Newsom emphasized the diversity and cultural significance that Asian Americans represented in California and     4     (encourage) all Californians to participate in the festival.

Lunar New Year is celebrated by thousands of Asian and Pacific Islander Californians at community events that illustrate     5     state’s rich cultural history and commitment to racial, religious, and cultural diversity. Many jurisdictions (辖区) in California have already made Lunar New Year an     6     (office) school holiday.

Also on Friday, a ceremony     7     (hold) in San Francisco’s city hall to raise China’s national flag in celebration of the 73rd anniversary of the     8     (found) of the People’s Republic of China.

Zhang Jianmin, China’s consul general in San Francisco, raised the flag with Meron Foster, a senior officer at the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Protocol. Zhang expressed his gratitude     9     San Francisco’s “very genuine gesture of friendship” toward China,     10     he spoke to an audience of us elected representatives, business figures and community members.

Festivals around the world have a wide range of     1    (origin), including seasons, religions, famous figures and significant events. The harvest festival     2     usually takes place after all the crops have been gathered is the most common one in different cultures. People celebrate     3    (show) that they are grateful for the harvest. In some regions, it's a day for people to show     4    (they) respect for nature by     5    (decorate) churches with flowers and fruits, and get together to celebrate over a meal.

Customs play a significant role in festivals,     6     they can change over time. For example, some Chinese cities give up     7     typical custom of lighting firecrackers for it makes the air pollution more serious. In recent years, festivals are becoming more and more commercial, with businesses taking advantage of the celebrations. Online shopping websites and social media apps     8    (make) it much easier for the public to spend more money     9     gifts so far. In spite of that, festivals are an important part of society, because they reflect people's wishes, beliefs, faiths and attitudes towards life. They are     10    (absolute) significant occasions that we should take advantage of to stay with our family and to relax and enjoy life.

May 21st this year marks the first International Tea Day, which was named officially     1     the United Nations on November 27th, 2019. To celebrate     2     festival, a number of events took place at the Chinese Businessman Museum in Beijing on Thursday.

The chairman of the China Culture Promotion Society     3     (address) the opening ceremony. “As a main promoter of the International Tea Day, the birthplace of tea and the     4     (large) tea-producing country, China has a     5     (responsible)to work with other countries to promote the healthy development of the tea industry. It can help to build a community with a     6     (share) future for mankind,” he said.

The “First International Tea Day Tea Road Cooperative Initiative” issued (发布) at the ceremony calls for people working in the tea industry to come together to promote international cooperation     7     cultural exchanges. A four-year tea promotion —Tea Road Cooperative Plan — was also issued in accordance with the initiative.

    8     (strengthen)the connection with young people, the event included a number of public promotional activities on social media,     9     (invite) twenty-nine tea professionals from around the world to have thirty-six hours of uninterrupted live broadcasts.

The Chinese Ancient Tea Museum was officially unveiled (揭幕) at the ceremony, opening     10     (it)first exhibition: The Avenue of Truth — A Special Exhibition of Pu’er Tea.

There are    1    wide range of festivals across the world. Festival are held to honor some famous    2    (figure) or significant events,     3     (satisfy) the ancestors, and to express people’s gratitude to the God for bringing them a year of plenty. For example, in India, October 2nd is a national festival to honour Mahandas Gandhi. There is no escaping the fact    4    Gandhi, the leader who helped gain India’s independence from Britain, enjoys great status.     5    (tradition), in China, the Spring Festival, which    6    (celebrate) in January or February, is the    7    (energy) and important festival because it is a festival that looks forward    8    the coming of spring. Why are all these festivals everywhere? Because during the festivals, people can get together to eat, drink and have fun with each other,     9    (forget) all the daily struggle    10    troubles them.

If you live in northeastern China, you expect long, cold winters. People     1    (live) in Harbin don’t just stand the cold, however; they welcome     2    . The city is home to the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival,     3     is considered one of the largest ice festivals in the world. Even with temperatures usually close to -30℃, people head for city parks     4    (see) ice sculptures.

The festival includes several thousand ice sculptures, some of which are the recreations of castles, historic landmarks and famous people.     5     (visitor) can climb ice stairways and go down the slides. They can also take part     6     sporting events, including skating, ice football as well as ice swimming.

The city started its icy event in 1963 with the Ice Lantern Garden Party，a     7    (celebrate) of the tradition of creating lanterns out of blocks of ice. The larger festival began in 1985 and added sculptures. The sculptures     8    (grow) in number and size over the years. As it has gotten     9    (big), the festival has become popular outside the city.

    10    (official), the festival starts on January 5th and lasts over one month.

The annual Water Splashing Festival of the Dai ethnic minority falls during the New Year period of the Dai Calendar. It is the most important festival    1     (observe) by the Dai ethnic people of Xishuangbanna Prefecture.

The festival lasts for three days . The first two days'    2    ( activity ) are concentrated on the banks of the Lancang River. On the first day, a grand    3    (celebrate) marks the beginning of the festival.

An outdoor market is set up    4    locals go for New Year shopping . Artists create sand carvings on open space close to the market. A dragon boat race    5     (hold) on Lancang River     6     (ring) out the old year in the afternoon. At night, the banks of the river are    7     (colorful) lit, and locals float river lanterns on the river.

The third day, the climax of the festival, is reserved for water splashing. On that day, the Dai put on their    8     (new) and best clothes , and then assemble at the local temple . Water is regarded by the Dai as a symbol of goodwill among people . Therefore , splashing a fellow human being with water during the Water Splashing Festival ,    9    a close neighbor or a fellow villager , or even a stranger , is    10    expression of the desire for good luck and prosperity to that person.