BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Soon after celebrating their traditional Spring Festival with firecrackers and joyfulness, some Chinese people are busy making preparations to greet the Lantern Festival and ensuing Valentine's Day.

    "Only when the whole family have a get-together for steaming stuffed dumplings, or 'Tangyuan' in Chinese, can I have the feeling of having spent a full New Year," said Ye Geng, a Shanghai citizen working in a local company.

    Chinese Lantern Festival falls on Feb. 12 this year, which is followed by Western Valentine's Day on Feb. 14.

    A food related to the meaning of reunion for the Lantern Festival,"Tangyuan," popular in South China, is similar to 'Yuanxiao' in North China, with gingili, peanut, or sweetened bean paste, etc., as the stuffing.

    Some supermarkets or shopping malls in Shanghai are seeing increasing demand for "Tangyuan" or "Yuanxiao," according to sellers.

    Meanwhile, folk dances, lantern exhibitions and other celebration activities for the Lantern Festival are being prepared in both cities and the countryside across China.

    To more and more Chinese young people, however, Valentine's Day seems to be more important than the Lantern Festival.

    "If I do not buy some presents for my girlfriend at the Valentine's Day, she will surely get unhappy," said a magazine editor surnamed Xing."But there is no such problem at the Lantern Festival."

    In a sense, the Valentine's Day is much more romantic and appealing for me than the Lantern Festival," said Xing.

    Many people have booked roses as Valentine's Day is approaching, said a flower shop owner in Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong Province.

    Beginning February, the prices of roses have been on the rise, which are now three to four times higher than those of last year, another flower seller in Jinan said.

    Some young people also choose to reserve roses through the Internet.

    So far, dozens of people have bought roses in this way, according to a flower Web site worker in Yinchuan, capital of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

    Certain scenic sites attract young couples by offering extra services for them during Valentine's Day.

    In Huangshan Mountain, a famous scenic site in East China's Anhui Province, young couples can get a free dinner and souvenir if they choose to tour there between Feb.13 and Feb. 15.

    In fact, there is something in common between Lantern Festival and Valentine's Day.

    In ancient China, girls seldom went out of their houses but were allowed to watch lantern shows at the Lantern Festival, which gave them a chance to meet persons to their heart.

    "Both of the two events are important for me," said a Beijing journalist surnamed Li.

    "I will buy some firecrackers for the Lantern Festival, as Beijing has lifted a 12-year ban on fireworks during Spring Festivals," he said.

    In Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, various activities, such as walking on stilts and yangge (a kind of folk Chinese dance), etc., will be held during the Lantern Festival, said an official in charge of the city's recreation and sports.

    Paper-cuttings and colored lanterns of various kinds that some citizens make by hand will also be shown at the festival, according to the official. Enditem