This year is the Year of the Sheep. For thousands of years, the Chinese have named each year after an animal in a 12-year cycle. The sheep ranks eighth in the cycle, after the mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake and horse, but before the monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

The sacred animal arrives on midnight Feb. 1 and it will be celebrated according to many ancient rites, including drum- striking ceremonies in Buddhist temples, Beijing Opera performances, eating "Jiaozi" or dumplings (the most typical Spring Festival dinner food), and posting antithetical couplets written on scrolls -- a time-honored symbol of auspice.

In the capital of Beijing, temple fairs will be quite popular during the seven-day holiday. The fairs, usually held in public parks, serve as gatherings for acrobats, cooks, fortune tellers, craftsmen, folk singers and dancers from across China to demonstrate their "unique to China" skills -- many of them inherited from their grandfathers and great-grandfathers.

However, there will be some interludes this year. A number of temple fairs are expected to feature foreign characteristics: bands and troupes will come from Britain, Brazil and Germany to join their Chinese counterparts.

The government has estimated that record numbers of people will rush to temple fairs nationwide. "Our hospital has stationed three doctors and nurses in a major Buddhist temple to provide care in the event of injuries," said Liu Guohong, a doctor with the No. 5 People's Hospital of Wuhan City in central China's Hubei Province.

And red -- the traditional color for typical Chinese festivals - - remains the color of choice this year. In the southern city of Nanning, most shops reported huge profits from the sales of red jackets, trousers and even pants and stockings in the days leading up to the New Year.

"Red represents traditional Chinese values: a good omen, confidence and hope," said Zhou Keda, a sociologist from the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences.

The most common and important festival tradition is family reunion, and because of the reunion, the custom of New Year's Eve dinner, or "Nianyefan," remains popular despite the advent of a variety of new trends on festival night.

"Actually, Nianyefan is a sort of ritual and a symbol too, embodying best wishes for family happiness," said Wang Hui, a postal worker in Beijing.

However, many of the traditional modes of celebration are beginning to fade. For example, the purchasing of "Nianhuo," or basic necessities for the festival, is no longer popular in cities. For thousands of years, when meat and grain were lacking, the Spring Festival was the only moment in the year when people were fortunate enough to eat to their satisfaction. The most important festival activity for a family consisted of buying a great deal of food to store in the house.

"During that period, the festival was rather bittersweet," said Wang Wentao, a graduate from the Sociology Department of Beijing University.

"Bainian," the traditional "New Year's greetings," has evolved in keeping with the evolution of technology, with personal encounters replaced by phone short messages and e-mails. In the past, visits were made to the homes of relatives and friends on the first day of the festival to convey "Bainian." These days, most people stay home and use their mobile phones.

In Shanghai, China's most modern and Westernized metropolis, many young people feel that visiting churches, singing karaoake and drinking in bars are more interesting ways to celebrate the festival. They have perhaps become bored with the traditional family reunion.

Other segments of society are less fortunate. The rapidly- expanding income gap will leave a large number of Chinese people with a meager, colorless festival. These people include the unemployed, the urban needy and impoverished farmers.

"We cannot forget them," said Li Zunying, deputy secretary of the Shijiazhuang City Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in north China's Hebei Province. He has chosen to spend the festival with a homeless person.

"The Spring Festival is a reflection of Chinese society. We do not know how Spring Festival will evolve since the country is changing so fast," said Wang Wentao. "The mentality and the tastes of the people are changing rapidly, as well."

(eastday.com February 2, 2003)