5. The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family. The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table.The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community and honors the past and present generations. The communal feast called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. It symbolizes family unity. By Itisha http://education2.uvic.ca/Faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/chinese_new_year.html
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11. “ The car's so stuffy! ” My brother Max whined. I rolled my eyes, Max was so spoilt. “ Would you put a sock in it Max, I'm trying to read. ” I hollered. Max stuck a face at me; it took me all my strength to stop myself from punching him in the face. I couldn't get in trouble, at least not before my holiday started. You see, Dad is taking us on a first- class trip to New York, and if I don't fight with my brother, 20 bucks is in the bag!!! “ Kay, y ’ all we ’ ve going to hit the road in a 'mat o' minutes. ” dad butted him self in to the car, while I rolled my eye's. Dad could never say anything right. And so we were on the road, going on a nice and snowy New York. We spent an hour getting this visa thingy right and 20 minutes to get on the plane..... Seriously, what ’ s so important about a photo? “ Dad....... dad...... dad..... Pap..... Pap.... pap.... pappy.... pappy ….. Pappy.... man.... man... ma- ” “ Shut up! ” I hollered into my brother ’ s ear. He took no notice of me and carried on with what max's do. I loved air planes; they can hold so much yet can fly as light as a feather. Yeah, sure, you could say I was kind of a tom- boy but I don't really care. That night I dream about us flying as a family, that included me, dad, max and...... Mum. Mum died of breast cancer 2 years ago and our family still hasn't got over it completely. I miss her, we all do …. Especially Max, he was really close to her. “ We slept ... Until the plane made a mid stop in San Diego. We got off and had a snack. Suddenly an announcement came saying that our flight was going off in 2 minutes!! We rushed to get to the gate way, but then Max fell, leading me to stop and help him, by the time he was up on his feet....... our plane had gone and Dad was no where to be found. The Most Unusual Christmas - Chapter 1 By Sadithi