花, we have a nine-day holiday this Spring Festival. I saw in the news that many people are starting to celebrate in a “segmented” way—first family reunion, then traveling. Do you think it’s practical?

I was just about to tell you! In previous years, we went back to our hometown to visit relatives and were busy every single day, exhausted like we were “fighting a battle.” How about staying up with our parents on New Year’s Eve first, then traveling together from the second day?

Sounds good. I used to think you can’t have your cake and eat it too—either reunion or travel. Now that the holiday is longer, maybe we can have the best of both worlds. But will our parents think it’s “not like the New Year”?

Actually, ideas are changing too. The news says many parents choose a “reverse New Year,” going to the cities where their children work. As long as the family sits together for the New Year’s Eve dinner, is the form really that important?

That makes sense. The Spring Festival originally came from an agricultural society as a seasonal ritual, focusing on reunion and gratitude. Now life moves fast—if traveling helps the family relax more, that’s also a new kind of festive atmosphere.

Exactly! And many places are offering intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, ice and snow festivals, and hot spring activities. We can take our parents to see traditional crafts like paper-cutting and shadow puppetry, so they can experience a different kind of Spring Festival.

But transportation might have several peak waves. The news says the second day of the New Year is a travel peak. We’d better book tickets in advance and not leave it to the last minute.

Haha, you’re right! No matter how we celebrate, the key is not to turn the holiday into pressure. Keep the spirit of reunion, add a bit of freshness to life—maybe that’s the new answer to the Spring Festival in changing times.