It's always good to see people smile. Most Americans smiled on Monday as the United States prepared for the presidential inauguration ceremony.

People crowd around the U.S. Capitol as preparations continue for the inauguration in Washington January 19, 2009.[Xinhua/Reuters Photo]

On Tuesday noon, history will be made on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. President-elect Barack Obama will take the oath of office, placing his left hand on the Bible that Abraham Lincoln used when he took the same oath in 1861.

Smiling faces of various colors, street vendors hawking all types of merchandise with images of Obama, trucks loaded with equipment for the grand presidential inaugural -- everything suggests a festive atmosphere in town.

Downtown Washington was immersed in a happy mood as the swearing-in ceremony, an inauguration that could be attended by 2 million people or more, was drawing near.

"Obama's inauguration ceremony is not a ceremony in real terms, it is like an important festival we all enjoy," said taxi driver Taddese Haile, an Ethyopian immigrant who became a U.S. citizen 16 years ago.

"All my friends voted for Obama as we have been wanting a real change," he said, adding that change had finally come, so he would have one day off and take his family to the ceremony to witness the historic moment.

Capitol Hill, which will witness the oath-taking of the first African-American president in U.S. history, turned into a hot scenic spot with tens of thousands of visitors swarming to take pictures, or share the happy time with friends or family members one day before the attention-grabbing ceremony was about to take place.

Two huge LCD screens that read "the 56th Presidential Inauguration" were placed on each side of the Capitol: Children, black and white, were chasing each other while giggling on the lawns; technicians were testing sound equipment by playing inspiring songs.

"Tomorrow will be a historic day for all Americans, not just only for African-Americans," said Barbra Brown, an African-American engineer working at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Carrying five small flags printed with Obama's images, she said with a broad smile, "I hope all my fellow countrymen will enjoy the historic moment tomorrow."

Along Pennsylvania Ave., which is the major route for the Inauguration Parade, posters, banners and other signs saying hello to the new president were everywhere to be seen.

Firefighters, iron and steel workers, painters and allied trades sent their good wishes to Obama by hanging a huge banner on the outer wall of a building on Pennsylvania Ave.; the Canadian Embassy put up a huge color poster on one of the giant pillars, saying "Canada salute President Obama, Vice President Biden..."

"It seems like a once-in-a-life-time event, the government should seize the time to arouse the national morale and lift Americans out of the low-key mood so as to make all people pull up their sleeves and grow the economy," said the taxi driver Haile.

D.J. Kenith, a political and public affairs consultant, said he has watched many inauguration parades over the past decades. "It was boring to stand there for four or five hours, especially in the cold."

"But this year, I will participate in the event because I want to throw my support behind this president who's going to bring changes to this country," he said.

Another American, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the new president faces economic challenges unmatched in many generations, two wars abroad, and the continuing threat of terrorism at home, so the difficult business of governing at a time of crisis will begin early from the moment Obama utters the words "so help me God."

"If we are optimistic about our future, then we can get over any difficulties," he said.

"Americans should put on a smiling face all the time and work together to remove all obstacles," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2009)