On Jan. 17, which was also Minor New Year’s Day, Chinese and foreign travelers celebrated the festival on a high-speed train from Kunming to Hong Kong’s West Kowloon, writing Spring Festival Couplets, making dumplings and giving each other “Fu” (happiness) characters.
As with Christmas, the Lunar New Year holidays are essentially a time of thankfulness — of festive family reunions and get-togethers with one’s dearest relatives and friends. And as with the Christmas season run-up to the big day, the period leading up to the first day of the Lunar New Year brims with warm, gleeful feelings and excited anticipation.