Firecrackers are traditionally set off to frighten away ghosts so that the new year would be free of them. Legend says that long ago there was a monster who terrorized people and animals at the end of the year. It was discovered that this animal was frightened of loud noise, bright lights, and the color red. At midnight, on the last day of the old year, these things are used to chase away the monster of the whole year.
Firecrackers are set off as soon as the new year arrives. You can hear or see firecrackers everywhere, and this usually lasts for a few hours. Some people will continue to play firecrackers occasionally through out the first half of the first month. Traditionally fireworks are the sign of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new.
Since the Sping Festival marks the first day of a brand new year, the first meal is rather important. People from north and south have different sayings about the food they eat on this special day.
In Northern China, people usually eat Jiaozi or dumplings shaped like a crescent moon. It is said that dumplings were first known in China some 1,600 years ago. Its Chinese pronunciation Jiaozi means midnight or the end and the beginning of time.According to historical records, people from both north and south ate dumplings on Chinese New Year's Day. Perhaps because Southern China produced more rice than any other area, gradually, southern people had many more other choices on New Year's Day.
In additon to Jiaozi, the most common foods for the first meal of the Spring Festival are noodles, New Year Cakes and Tangtuan, a kind of round sweet dumplings. Both the cakes and dumplings are made of glutinors rice flour.
In China, the noodle symbolizes longevity. The New Year Cake is called Nian Gao in Chinese. It conveys the hope of improvement in life year after year, the round sweet dumpling is a symbol of reunion.