China’s Spring Festival,or Chinese New Year,is the most important festival for the Chinese population.It begins on the first day of the first Chinese lunar month (which usually falls between January and February of the Western Calendar).
Traditionally,the Spring Festival is marked by sumptuous banquets,exorbitant gift exchange and celebrations.However,a more environmentally conscious educational campaign sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund has launched an initiative called ”Green Spring Festival” persuading the public towards a more energy conscious celebration.
According to tradition and customs,the Spring Festival lasts 15 days with celebrations that are marked by exorbitant waste and energy use.Fireworks have been the mainstay of Spring Festivals.Cities and villages literally explode with fireworks as soon as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve.Despite a ban on fireworks in larger cities like Beijing and Shanghai during the early years of the 1990’s (due to safety concerns),sales of fireworks for the recent 2009 New Year have increased by 30 percent.In Beijing alone,69 tons of firework debris were collected after the recent New Year’s Eve,14 tons more than were collected the same night last year.