The start of spring (立春 lìchūn) is the first and one of the most important of the twenty-four periods according to the Chinese lunar calendar. As the name indicates, it announces the arrival of spring, a new season. This year it began on Feb 3, just one week before the Spring Festival. Nowadays, people seem to have nothing special for this day—no holiday, no celebration—quite different from 30 years ago. In my childhood (Note from Editor, the author is my mother), I loved this day and cherished interesting memories of its celebration. On this day, firecrackers were lit simultaneously, and the booming sound was heard from villages to towns. A group of artists, playing as spring angels, visited every house, lavishing blessings and playing chunluo, a Chinese musical instrument. Sometimes, you might watch lion dances and dragon dances in your own yard.