Snow, icy rain and fog caused flight delays and highway closures in many parts of China on Feb. 24, the last day of the week-long Lunar New Year Festival. China Central Meteorological Station on Feb. 24 forecast snow fall in many northern regions, and rainy and foggy weather in most of the southern parts.

The traditional scene of children clad in red, knelt down, kowtowing to their elders, who hand them red envelopes containing “lucky money” for Spring Festival is now a rarity. Ushering in the Year of the Sheep, people across the country could be seen shaking their cell phones in order to receive digital red envelopes.

A nationwide austerity drive means minimalism is prevailing over lavishness as the latest fad during China’s special occasions. It used to be the norm for villagers to rent fleets of luxury cars and arrange expensive feasts for weddings. Funeral are also big occasions for Chinese people to flash their cash.

China’s transportation authorities have estimated that almost 300 million people, about the population of the U.S., will travel by train during the 40 days from Feb. 4 to March 16 this year. However, the advent of high-speed rail has greatly increased capacity, and modern trains have made the travel a lot more comfortable.

Air pollution reached “dangerous levels” in 106 Chinese cities at the height of the celebrations welcoming the Lunar New Year due to use of firecrackers and fireworks, a Xinhua tally has found. Between 8 p.m. on Feb. 18 and 10 a.m. on Feb. 19, the Air quality index (AQI) surpassed 300 in 106 cities.

Spring Festival is a time to observe old traditions and celebrate China’s cultural inheritance. Food is an important part of New Year celebration. In northern China, dumplings are indispensable on New Year’s eve and the first meal of the New Year. In Southern China, most people prefer rice to wheat…

For Tibetans, this Lunar New Year is doubly joyful as it coincides with the Tibetan year of the Wooden Ram, which also begins on Feb. 19. At the landmark Potala Palace in the heart of the regional capital of Lhasa, thousands of Tibetans, along with tourists, queued for entrance since 1 a.m. to pray for a better year.

In China, the sky is filled with pyrotechnics and the ports and airports are full of happy family reunions: February 18 marked the thousand-year-long tradition of ushering in the lunar New Year. Spring Festival remains an important time to bring the family back together: It is the Chinese version of Thanksgiving.

President Xi Jinping and other leaders on Feb. 17 extended Lunar New Year greetings to Chinese people at home and abroad. In a speech to a gathering at the Great Hall of the People, Xi pledged more work on improving work styles in the Party and government and creating more wealth, more benefit for the people…