Beijing is the place where the atmosphere of Spring Festival is the most intense. Streets and lanes here would be filled with festive atmosphere for two successive months from the twelfth month of the lunar year to the first month of the next. Many long-standing traditions have been carried on by the citizens. They would celebrate the lunar New Year's Eve, visit relatives and friends, and make courtesy call to elders. At night, people would set off firecrackers and all family members would get together to have New Year's Eve dinner. They used to have dinner at home in the past. Nowadays, many families choose to eat out. From the first day of the first lunar month, people would pay New Year call to each other for several days; every family would prepare various special foodstuffs for Spring Festival for relatives and friends. The first day to the fifth day of the first lunar month is traditionally called "Breaking Five Days", during which people used to eat dumpling, or "Boiled Cake" as called in North China. Nowadays, some families eat dumpling for a couple days, others have it once every two days; there are no families that do not eat dumping in the five days. It is a "must" either in maharaja's mansions or in common houses. Dumping is even used to treat guests in this period.
