According to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, Feb. 15, 2018, is the Spring Festival, which is popularly known as the Chinese New Year. This day is like Christmas Eve and also called the Spring Festival’s Eve. With the spread of Chinese in the world, the most important festival in China is fervent in undertaking.Spring Festival is not forgotten, even in the MS.-an area with few Asian populations.

Part 1: Cleveland, Mississippi

The first activity was a cooking demonstration and tasting. Chinese food culture is full of diversity, and this activity is a good opportunity to learn more about Chinese food. As I walked into the site of the event, a familiar smell enveloped me immediately, the familiar smell of spices being added to Chinese food. This is fundamentally different from Western food.

The second activity is the museum tours and activities. The museum displayed many Chinese daily necessities as well as some works of art. Through these pieces, people can understand Chinese’s living habits and their national culture. There are also pictures of Chinese people who have lived in Cleveland since the late 1990’s and some relevant information about them. Throughout the presentation there was a commentator explaining what the visitors were seeing.

Part 2: Jackson, Mississippi

As the capital city of Miss., Jackson has a higher Chinese population. Therefore, the local Chinese Association held a themed event to celebrate the Spring Festival. Many small teams formed a large group and each team presented a different theme then marched around downtown.  For instance, since this year is the year of the dog, a team dressed dogs in cartoon clothes and led the dogs with them in the parade. Another team was the Chinese Kung Fu team, where there were some little kids who wore Kung Fu costumes.

From time to time, people in the parade threw small gifts to the crowd who were standing on the side of the street. In the Square, there are some stalls that sold goods with Chinese characteristics. There was also a place for free food, where I saw the typical Chinese favorite: dumplings!

As an important part of Chinese culture, the Spring Festival has become more and more familiar to the world. The celebration of the Spring Festival in Miss., allows Chinese Americans who cannot go home to their families feel the warmth from foreign countries!