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When it comes to Spring Festival, many Chinese have similar memories and ideas: How joyous it was when we were kids, how routine and stale it has become, and how much it is threatened by the more exotic Western holidays now making inroads in China.

For one, I wouldn't trade anything for Spring Festival. It is by far the most important holiday and no amount of Westernization will change that. Yes, we're less likely to jump up and down in jubilation now that we are grownups, but we should not be cynical about it either.

When I was a kid, lunar New Year was a big thing because we could enjoy 12-course feasts for days and were given new clothes and red envelopes by parents and grandparents. In a time when everything was rationed, just imagine what a thrill the occasion would be.

Nowadays, it is difficult to recreate that feeling, even for kids. We can eat like that every day. (Well, actually, the trend is to eat less and eat healthy.) And we can afford new clothes whenever we want, at least for the growing middle class. But even for those at the lower strata of society, material life has improved so much that an ordinary day today resembles this holiday a generation ago.

So, what still makes it special? In a small measure, firecrackers.

I'm not superstitious and don't care much about driving devils away and other such folklore. But having a panorama of fireworks when the clock strikes 12 midnight on New Year's Eve is one experience that sets my heart palpitating and sends me into a holiday mood faster than anything else and I'm not even crazy about sparklers.

Now, firecrackers have safety hazards. But to ban them on these grounds is just like banning all vehicles because traffic fatalities in an entire country amount to the number of casualties in a war. I guess firefighters have to work overtime during this season and people still need to take precautions, but it is a small price to pay for the atmosphere of festivity.

The centerpiece, of course, is the family reunion. Spending this time away from home is, to say the least, miserable. That's why people take a sizable chunk of their annual income to trek home and do things they do year after year, such as buying gifts for loved ones, drinking with old buddies and indulging in all-night reminiscences.

It is a ritual that binds us together as one culture. It may not be economically optimum, but a lot of our traditions don't really make economic sense. We can revise the other two golden weeks to reduce their strains on resources, but the New Year holiday is one golden week that cannot be adjusted. No matter how you spend the time, you want it to be joyous and fruitful, something to make a year of hard work worthwhile.

Lunar New Year, for all its pagan origin, reminds me of Christmas. It is essentially about loving, giving and sharing. I was taught that, even if you are the most disgusting miser or snob, you should not turn away a beggar during this time, but should instead feed him what you have. In other words, if you want to be blessed, you should spread your bliss.

Last year, I interviewed a woman who has a small business in Beijing. On New Year's Day she took her daughter to visit not a relative but an old lady with no children. They brought her gifts and cooked a traditional meal for her.

"It's just a small thing I can do to make her less lonely," she said, asking me not to reveal her real name or make a big deal out of it.

This random act of kindness to a stranger may not be on the traditional holiday agenda, but that makes the Spring Festival spirit all the more heartwarming.

raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn