A Chinese lawmaker on Monday (Feb 5) suggested that Guangdong Province include "Chuxi", Lunar New Year's Eve, in its weeklong new year holidays.

Kang Yinlei, a deputy to Guangdong provincial People's Congress, said that this is in line with Chinese New Year traditions and with local customs. Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, falls on Feb .18 this year.

The current Spring Festival "Golden Week" holidays, established in 1999, start from the first day of the Chinese lunar new year and last for seven days.

Kang said that "Chuxi" is even more important to Chinese people than "Chuyi" - New Year's Day because every family in China has a gala dinner on that evening and family members stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year and wish each other a Happy New Year.

Guangdong, a booming economic region neighboring Hong Kong, has attracted millions of migrant workers from all over the country. As Spring Festival approaches, migrant workers are keen to go home for the get-together party with their families on "Chuxi".

Kang suggested that Guangdong prolong the holiday or advance the holiday by one day to include New Year's Eve.

Adding "Chuxi" to the national holiday will give people a more traditional Lunar New Year and help revive folk festival customs, she added.

Feng Shiliang, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), voiced a similar proposal, calling for a more practical and people-oriented holiday scheme.

He proposed reducing the National Day and May Day holidays from three days to one day each and replacing them with four single-day holidays marking Grave-Sweeping Day in April, the Dragon Boat Festival in Lunar May, the Mid-autumn (Moon) Festival in Lunar August and New Year's Eve.

Editor: Wing