Today is the Lantern Festival, marking the quiet approach of the end of the Spring Festival. Yet, the memories of "celebrating the New Year" remain like a warm lamp, always glowing in our hearts.
No matter how far we roam, the essence of the New Year always resides in the softest corner of our hearts—perhaps it's the steaming bowl of dumplings served by our mother, the slightly hunched figure of our father pasting Spring Festival couplets, or the familiar wisp of morning smoke rising from our hometown.
Today, I want to talk with you about the "flavor of the New Year," about those unforgettable moments that linger in our minds.
Finally, I boarded the train back home, embarking on the journey to return to my hometown for the Spring Festival in 2025.
Upon learning the date of my return, my wife had already planned the itinerary to pick me up and repeatedly reminded me that the weather in our hometown was cold and I should wear more clothes. Although we have our own small family in the city, my wife, my child and I have always gone back to our rural hometown to celebrate the Spring Festival.
The Flavor of the Spring Festival in My Childhood: Innocence and Anticipation
When I was a child, the flavor of the Spring Festival was the anticipation of being able to wear the new clothes sewn by my mother with her own hands on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The moment I put on the new clothes, a strong sense of happiness and pride welled up in my heart.
The firecrackers that filled my pockets were the greatest joy during the Spring Festival. My little friends and I would compete with each other in the skills of setting off firecrackers. We would either shoot them into the air with a slingshot, throw them into the water to make splashes, or insert them into the soil to see who could make a bigger mud pit after the explosion.
Writing Spring Festival couplets was also a beautiful scene that added to the flavor of the Spring Festival. Our neighbors would all bring red paper to our home to have the couplets written. My sister and I were responsible for cutting the red paper and reading the couplets, while my grandfather would wield the brush and splash ink. Every time a pair of couplets was completed, I would read it again with a sense of rhythm, for fear that my grandfather might make a mistake.
Visiting my granduncle's house as a relative is also something that I still remember vividly, because my granduncle gave me the most lucky money.
The Flavor of the Spring Festival After Growing Up: Inheritance and Reunion
After growing up, the flavor of the Spring Festival lies in inheriting the Spring Festival customs. I help my parents bake huoshao (a kind of flatbread), clean the house, steam steamed buns, and make dumplings. I ride a 28-inch bicycle to the market to buy special purchases for the Spring Festival.
There are bustling crowds in the market, a wide variety of goods, bright red Spring Festival couplets with gilded edges, and big Chinese character "Fu". They are much more beautiful than the couplets when I was a child. All kinds of shouts and hawking sounds can be heard continuously, and it is extremely lively.
What I look forward to most is that the whole family gets together to watch the Spring Festival Gala on New Year's Eve. With the wonderful and exciting programs, even my father, who has always been serious, will laugh heartily with us.
When I visit my granduncle's house again, he will already pull me to have a drink. The old man has an excellent skill in persuading others to drink. Every time, he gets me tipsy, and then he starts to tell all kinds of interesting stories about my childhood.
The Flavor of the Spring Festival After Adulthood: Memories and Cherishing
After reaching adulthood, the flavor of the Spring Festival is about walking along the paths in the fields. Walking along them time and time again, I can see the footprints of my childhood everywhere. With every step I take, countless stories come to mind. I grab a handful of soil from the fields, hold it in my hand, and then slowly sprinkle it back.
Beihewan was the place I was most afraid of when I was a child. I never dared to go there to catch fish because the water was deep and flowing rapidly. Now, the beach is gone, and the river has dried up.
My granduncle is already 96 years old. Although he is still in good health, he hardly drinks alcohol anymore. Before I left, he insisted on dragging me to the town to buy the local yellow rice wine for me. He kept telling me that the wine from this store was the best and that he had been drinking it for decades.
My grandfather's house has been abandoned for many years. When I walk in, there is a lot of dust and cobwebs. However, I still paste brand-new Spring Festival couplets on the two yards every year.
In the quiet village, the crowing of roosters still comes one after another in the early morning, mixed with the barking of a few dogs. The air in the early morning of my hometown is still fresh. The curling smoke from the kitchens, the fiery red morning glow, everything looks so familiar.
Several children are chasing and playing merrily in the courtyard, just like my playmates when I was a child. My father, who has never played poker in his life, is having a great time playing with my daughter. My kind mother starts to prepare all kinds of delicious food for my journey, packing them in bags.
"This can be stored for a long time. This one needs to be put in the refrigerator. And this is how you can make it taste delicious." And I have already gotten used to my mother's such "nagging" every year.
The Flavor of the Spring Festival Is the Taste of Home
The Spring Festival is always short-lived. My wife has already started packing my luggage. I mumbled, "There are so many things. I can't carry them all, and I still need to transfer to another vehicle." My 8-year-old daughter beside me said in a childish voice, "Dad, you should take all of them. They're not heavy. All these things are Grandma's love for you." Instantly, my eyes welled up with tears.
As the years go by and time changes, each new day ushers in a more magnificent chapter. I carry on my back 29 kilograms (58 jin) of "love" and let my dreams set sail once again. With my parents still alive, coming home for a reunion is what the Spring Festival is all about, and it is also the strongest flavor of the Spring Festival!
The flavor of the Spring Festival is not just about firecrackers, Spring Festival couplets, and lucky money. It is more about the condensation of family affection and memories. No matter when it is or how far we have traveled, it can always bring us back to the very beginning, allowing us to feel that pure warmth.
How did you spend your Spring Festival?
Did you return to your hometown or stay in the city? Did you meet your long-missed relatives or gather with your friends? Which moment made you think, "This is the flavor of the Spring Festival!"?
You are welcome to leave a message and share your stories. Let's record these warm moments with words together.
Zealwe Technology, together with you, will safeguard every bit of warmth. May we, in the new year, chase our dreams bravely and move forward warmly, accompanied by the strong flavor of the Spring Festival!
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