Kataria is the founder of the worldwide laughter movement. The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive activity for world peace and is to build up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship through laughter. The first “World Laughter Day” gathering（集会）took place in Mumbai, India, on 11th January 1998. 12, 000 members from India and international Laughter Clubs attended it. Now there are about 5, 000 Laughter Clubs worldwide on all 5 continents.

    “HAPPY-DEMIC” was the first World Laughter Day gathering outside India. It took place on 9th January 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark. “World Laughter Day” is now organized on the first Sunday of May every year. Hundreds of people gather worldwide on that day to laugh together.

    Today, the world has never faced so much unrest（动荡）before. People are at war within themselves. Laughter is a universal language, which has the ability to unite humanity without religion（宗教）. Laughter can build a common connection between various religions and create a new world order. So we believe that laughter and only laughter can unite the world, building up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship.

    Studies also say that laughter helps your body do the following: lower blood pressure; reduce stress; work out the heart, especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercise. So in life, when you can laugh, you should laugh loudly and with your entire body—because it's good for you.

    China is a country with many colorful days and festivals. The Dragon Head Raising Day (Longtaitou) is one of them.

    This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar (阴历). It stands for the start of spring and farming. This year, the day fell on March 10.

    The dragon is important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people call ourselves the "descendants(传人) of the dragon". Therefore, people celebrate the Dragon Head Raising Day with many customs(传统) about dragons.

    On the day in ancient times(古代), people put ashes (灰) in the kitchen. This was to "lead the dragon into the house". People believed that with the help of the dragon, they could have a good harvest (收成) in autumn.

    Also, people eat special foods on that day. The foods are usually named after dragons. For example, people eat "dragon whisker (细须)" noodles and dumplings called "dragon teeth".

    Today, many customs have faded away (消退). But one that has remained is the cutting of hair. It was said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the mother's brothers. So many people have their hair cut on the Dragon Head Raising Day.

Hot pot(火锅) and Hotpot

    I'm learning English in the UK where I meet a lot of new friends and eat something delicious. Hot pot is many Chinese people's favorite food, including(包括) me. After having three days of hamburgers, sandwiches and potatoes in the UK, how excited I was to know that there was going to be a free meal of hotpot to welcome the new students. On the way to the canteen, I seemed to smell the hot pot in the air.

    To my surprise, when I stepped into the room, in front of me were still potatoes and bread. Where was the hot pot?

    With many questions in my head, I sat down to have the free meal. After talking with a French girl, I got to know that hot pot is completely different from hotpot. Chinese hot pot is written in two words and hotpot, one word, is a traditional English dish.

    Hotpot is made from mutton and onion. On the top there are sliced potatoes. People put it in the oven all day in a heavy pot and on a low heat. You can often see it at parties in the UK because it's easy to prepare for a large number of people and is not expensive.

    Hotpot doesn't taste bad. However, I still miss hot pot, two words!

Celebrate :庆祝  Lunar:农历  Lantern:灯  Riddles:谜