To the Chinese people, Spring Festival is as important as Christmas to people in the West. According to the Chinese tradition, preparation for the festival starts from the beginning of the last lunar month and festival celebrations extend until the Lantern Festival on the 15th of the first lunar month. As a matter of fact, nowadays few Chinese people can afford spending a whole month on festival activities due to the fast-paced life. However, most of the working people can enjoy a week-long public holiday, during which the most important are the New Year's Eve and the first three days of the first lunar month.

对中国人来说，春节就像西方人的圣诞节一样重要。按照中国的传统，节前的准备从最后一个农历月的月初开始，并将一直持续到新年第一个农历月15号的元宵节为止。事实上，由于快节奏的生活，现在很少中国人能够把整个月时间花费在春节的各种活动上。然而，多数工薪人员能够享有一个一星期长的公众假日，期间最重要的是除夕以及第一个农历月的头三天。