【正文】 O n thi s im portant feast day, peopl e eat food i n the shape of skul l s and cakes wi th “bones” on them . They offer food, fl owers and gi fts to the dead. The Western holi day H al loween al so had i ts ori gi n i n ol d beli efs about the return of the spiri ts of dead peopl e. It i s now a chi l dren’s festival, when they can dress up an go to thei r neighbours’ hom es to ask for sweets. If the nei ghbours do not gi ve any sweers, the chil dren m i ght pl ay a tri ck on them . Feti vals to H onour Peopl e Festi val s can al so be hel d to honour fam ous peopl e. The Dragon Boat Festi val i n Chi na honours the fam ous anci ent poet, Qu Yuan. In the USA, Col um bus Day is i n m em ory of the arrival of Chri stopher Colum bus i n the N ew Worl d. Indi a has a national festi val on O ctober 2 to honour Mohandas Gandhi, the l eader who hel ped gai n Indi a’s i ndependece from Bri tai n. H arvest Festi val s H arvest and Thanksgivi ng festi val can be very hapy events. Peopl e are grateful because thei r food i s gathered for the wi nter and the agri cul tural work i s over. In European countri es, peopl e wil l usual y decorate churches and town hal ls wi th fl owers and frui t, and wil get together to have m eal s. Som e peopl e mi ght wi n awards for thei r farm produce, l i ke the bi gest waterm elon or the m ost handsom e rooster. Chi na and Japan have mi dautum n festi val s, when peopl e admi re the m on and i n Chi na, enjoy m oncakes. Spri ng Festi val s The most energeti c and im portant festi vals are te ones that l ook forward to the end of wi nter and to the i ng of spri ng. At the Spri ng Festi val i n Chi na, peopl e eat dum pi ngs i fsh and m eat and may gi ve chil dren l ucky m oney i n red paper. There are dragon dances and carni vals , and fami li es cel ebrate the Lunar New Year together. Som e Western countri es have very exciti ng carni cal s, whi ch take pl ace forty days before Easter, usual l y i n February. These carni val s mi ght i ncl ude parades, danci ng i n the streets day and night, loud m usi c and col ourful cl othing of al l ki nds. Easter i s an i m portant rel igi ous and soci al festi val for Chi ri sti ans around the worl d. It cel ebrates the return of Jesus from the dead and the ing of spri ng and new l i fe. Japan’s Cherry Bl osom Festi cal happens a l ittl e later. The country, covered wi th cherry tree flowers, l ooks as though i t is covered wi th pi nk snow. Peopl e l ove to get together to eat, dri nk and have fun wi th each other. Festi val s l et us enjoy l ife, be proud of our custom s and fet ou work for a li ttl e whi le. A Sad Love Story Li Fang was heartbroken. It was Val eti ne’s Day and H u Ji n had sai d she woul d m eet hi m at the coffee shop after work. But she di dn’t turn up. She coul d be wi th her fri ends ri ght now l aughi ng at him. She sai d she woul d be there at seven o’ cl ock, and he thought she woul d keep her word. H e had l ooked forward to m eeti ng her al day, and now he was al on with hi s roses and chocol ates, l ike a fool . Wel l, he ws not goi ng to hol d hi s breath for her to apol ogi ze. H e woul d drown hi s sadness i n coffee. It was obvi ous that the m anager of the coffee shop was wai ting for Li Fang to l eave – he wiped the tabl es, then sat down and turned on the TV – just what Li Fang needed! A sad Chi nese story about l ost l ove. The randdaughter of the Goddess of H eaven vi sited the earth. H er nam e was Zhi nu, the weavi ng firl. Whil e she was on earth she m et the herd boy Ni ulang and they fel l i n l ove. ( “ Just li ke m e and Hu Ji n,” thought Li Fang. ) They got m arri ed secretl y, and they were very happy. ( “We coul d be l i ke that, “ thought Li Fang. ) When the Goddess of H eaven knew that her granddaughter was m arri ed to a human, she becam e very angry and m ade the weaving gi rl return to H eaven. N i ul ang tri ed to fol low her, but the ri ver of stars, the Mil ky Way, stopped him . Fi ndi ng that Zhi nu was heartbroken, her grandm other final y deci ded to l et the coupl e cross the Mi l ky Way to m eet once a year. Magi pi es make a bri dge of thei r wi ngs so the coupl e can cross the ri ver to m eet on the seventh day of the senveth l unar m onth. People i n Chi an hope that the weather wi l be fi ne on that day, because i f i t i s rai ni ng, i t m eans that zhi nu i s weepi ng and the couple won’t be abl e to m eet. The announcer sai d, “ Thi s i s the story of Qi qi ao Festival. When foreigners hear about the story they cal l it a Chi nese Val enti ne’s story. It’s a fi ne day today, so I hope you can al l m eet the one you l ove.” As Li Fang set off for hom e, he thought , “ I guess H u Ji n doesn’t l ove m e. I’ just throw these fl owers and chocol ates away. I don’t want them to remi nd m e of her.” So he di d. As he sadl y passed the tea shop on the corner on hi s wasy home, he heard a voi ce cal i ng hi m. There was H uji n wavi ng at him and cal i ng, “Why are you so l ate? I’ ve been wai ti ng for you for a l ong tim e! An I have a gi ft for you!” What woul d he do? He had thrown away her Val enti ne fi ges! She woul d never fi ve him. Thi s woul d not be a happy Bal entine’s Day! Wi nter Carni val in Quebec A group of very col d touri sts are si tti ng i n a cafe i n old Quevec, dri nki ng hor coffee to try to warm up. The tem perature i s 32 degrees bel ow freezi ng. The wi ndows are cobered with steam from the heat i nsi de. O utsi de, snow covers the streets and i s pi l ed up al ong the si dewal ks. The m usi c and l i ghts of the Carni val conti nue, but after a whole day of watchi ng parades, ri di ng i n horse carri ages and li steni ng to the m usi c, thei r feet are freezi ng and their noses are red. Every year, hundreds of thousands of peopl e e to Quebec to take part i n the weell ong winter festi val , the bi ggest i n the worl d. Everyone who es must