Thursday marks the fifth day of the Chinese lunar New Year, and the temperature dropped to 10 below zero Celsius.

Though the holiday week for the Spring Festival is drawing to its end, the traditional belief to dispel misfortune or frighten away villains on this day provided people another opportunity for the spree in the city where a 12-year ban on firecrackers was just lifted before the festival.

Clacks and bangs began to resound in the national capital early Thursday morning and the spree reached a climax at dinnertime when, according to the tradition, people would have dumplings.

The Beijing municipal government lifted a 12-year ban on firecrackers last December in a bid to add festivity to the lunar new year, which both scholars and common people complained is losing its traditional color in the modern era.

Beijing banned setting off fireworks in 1994 for fears of increasing safety accidents, mainly fire alarms and human injuries, and also out of concerns about air pollution.

But the ban triggered controversy from the very beginning, as many argued it would lead to the loss of China's century-old folk customs.

Burning firecrackers was believed to be an effective way to dispel misfortune and evils in ancient times, and thus became a must for the Chinese during major festivals and celebrations.

In the traditional belief, people had better stay at home and should never visit others on this day to avoid bring misfortune to both themselves and others.

In China, a country with diverse traditions and faiths, there are many other taboos to be observed during the Spring Festival, the most festive time of the year. Firm believers of the customs say if you strictly follow the rules, you'll have a prosperous new year.

But the taboos seemed to be losing its followers.

Many people left their homes on the forbidden day. The post-festival passenger peak started Thursday in Beijing, said local railway officials. Increasing number of passengers, mostly migrant workers, will return to Beijing in the following several days.

The two major railway stations in the city, the Beijing Railway Station and the Beijing West Railway Station, saw 126,000 returned passengers Wednesday and the number is expected to rise sharply in the following days, railway officials said.

The holiday week will end on Saturday.

Folklore experts said that Spring Festival taboos are being phased out even in the countryside thanks to the development of modern civilization in rural areas.

Taboos are expressions of the people's wishes for a better life rather than codes of conduct, said Prof. Chen Jing, a folklore specialist with Nanjing University in east China's Jiangsu Province.

"Many people have come to realize the fact, so taboos are less binding these days," Zhang said.

As more farmers are working and living in cities, the new lifestyles and ideas they bring back to their home villages also help brainwash the locals, said Prof. Chen. Enditem