The government should take into consideration the voices of ordinary people when organizing major holidays and festivals, says an article in Bandao Metropolis News. An excerpt follows:

Relevant State departments recently issued a notice about arrangements for important festivals and holidays.

Due to their importance to almost every Chinese, any news to do with holidays always receives attention from the masses of ordinary people.

But many were very disappointed when they saw no change in the timing of the forthcoming Spring Festival, a traditional holiday for family reunions.

Just as in the past, people will have their holidays from the first to the seventh day of the Lunar New Year and still have to be at work on New Year's Eve an important occasion for family togetherness and bidding farewell to the old days while embracing the new.

Leaving aside whether or not the country's holiday arrangements for Labor Day and National Day are reasonable, both common people and experts have raised concern about Spring Festival arrangements. Most people strongly and earnestly hope they do not have to work on New Year's Eve.

With a strong wish to revive the country's traditional festivals through official intervention, more than 40 experts in Chinese customs proposed that the Spring Festival start on the last day of the lunar year so they will not be at work on New Year's Eve.

It is self-evident how important people think New Year's Eve is.

Citizens should be given the chance to enjoy reunions and happiness with members of their family instead of being confined to the workplace, maybe half-heartedly counting down to the holidays.

Relevant departments should take into consideration the practical demands of ordinary people with regard to the Spring Festival, and make some adjustments and changes to make it a more humane system.

(China Daily December 22, 2005)