—highlight several major spectacles and performances that align with such a theme
Participants write letters of thanks to people who have helped them but whom they have never properly acknowledged—a teacher from 20 years ago, a bus driver who returned a lost wallet, or an ancestor they never met. These letters are not necessarily mailed; they are read aloud in small family gatherings and then burned in a clay “gratitude furnace,” with the smoke symbolizing the message rising to the heavens. xia qingzi chinese new year thanksgiving fest