The oldest and most important festival in China is the Spring Festival,more commonly known in the West as Chinese New Year.Like all Chinese festivals,the date of the new year is determined by the lunar/solar calendar rather than the Western (Gregorian) calendar,so the date of the holiday varies from late January to mid February.
The Spring festival celebrates the earth coming back to life,and the start of ploughing and sowing.In the past,feudal rulers of dynasties placed great importance on this occasion,and ceremonies to usher in the season were performed.