In both China and the West, at this time of the year, we must endure the cold, the wind and the snow of wintertime. How good it is then that we have festivals to keep our spirits up and hearts warm!
Spring Festival in China and Christmas in foreign countries are times for families and friends to get together, exchange gifts and have a big dinner.
Although the two holidays are different – one is to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth, while the other is celebrated because of thousands of years of Chinese folk traditions – Christmas and Spring Festival still have things in common.
In both, eating is a big part of the holiday celebration. In China we eat dumpling and niangao – cakes made of sticky rice – while Westerners sit down to a roast turkey or ham, with vegetables, apple-sauce and a plum (干果) pudding.
Gifts are another key element in both celebrations. In the West, families gather round the Christmas tree on Christmas morning and open their presents. Gifts range from the small – a box of chocolates – to the large. Children especially look forward to a big present, say a new bike or computer. Similarly, in China children receive gift money in red envelopes from their elders.
With the world becoming more connected, Spring Festival and Christmas have crossed cultural borders. It is not unusual in China to see Christmas trees and Father Christmas figures around the end of December.
And Chinese living abroad have made Spring Festival a special cultural event in many foreign countries. In some US cities, especially those with large Chinese neighborhoods, non-Asian adults and kids join in the fun.  “ I’ve been celebrating Chinese New Year for a really long time, and it’s a great cultural festival for the community,” said Leslie Swartz, who works at the city’s Children’s Museum in Boston. “Everyone goes to Chinatown. There are lion dances and firecrackers. It’s very lively. Schools also celebrate Chinese New Year. ” Swartz said.
Swartz has a 13-year-old adopted Chinese daughter, Mei. They celebrate at home, too, decorating the house and eating special foods. They make traditional Chinese New Year’s fruit trays (拼盘). They also write good luck messages on red paper, called spring couplets (对联), and hang them by the doors at home.
The Title: East- West: We are alike
★        : Spring Festival in China and Christmas in the west
★similarities:
▼ keeping spirits up and        
▼being time for families and friends to     
▼       
▼having a big dinner
★      between the two festivals
▼Spring Festival: folk traditions of China of thousands of years
▼Christmas: Celebrating ___      
★ Culture mixture: Spring Festival and Christmas having crossed   
▼In China: Seeing     and Father Christmas figures
▼In the USA: watching lion dances and  in Chinatown, making traditional Chinese New Year’ fruit trays, writing good luck messages on red paper and    by the doors