Chinese holidays vary greatly from Western ones. Chinese holidays mark a custom or cultural event. Christmas and (Georgian) New Year’s Eve are scarcely celebrated. Most Chinese holidays follow the lunar calendar, which has several important days. Here are China’s five largest holidays and how they’re celebrated.
Understanding the Holiday In China
Spring Equinox
Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival (- Chn Jié), is China’s biggest holiday. In January or February, the first day of the Lunar Calendar is celebrated for a week. Red, which symbolizes riches and pleasure in China, is traditionally used to commemorate deities and ancestors. During Spring Festival, Chinese people wear red, adorn their windows and walls with red paper designs, conduct dragon dances, and pass out hong bao.
Today, Chinese people travel throughout the nation to rejoice with family over a week-long public holiday. The public holiday begins on the Lunar New Year’s Eve, with a reunion supper and a broadcast watching of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. During the next week, Chinese people will pray to deities for favors, ignite firecrackers to fend off bad spirits, visit family and friends, and present hong bao.
Spring Festival is the most important festival in China’s calendar. New undertakings may be deferred till after the New Year for more benefits.
Festive lanterns
Lantern Festival ( – Yun Xio Jié) occurs on the 15th day following the Lunar New Year, between February and March. The Festival began during the Han Dynasty 2,000 years ago. Chinese folks prayed for family and national success and burned paper lanterns to honor deities.
Such traditions persist. Sticky rice balls ( tng yuán) and lantern wordplay riddles ( dng m) are also popular. As the first celebration following Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival celebrates harmony and togetherness. During the event, Chinese towns have lantern parades late into the night.
Festival du Dragon
The Dragon Boat Festival (Dun W Jié) celebrates loyalty and filial piety, or honoring parents and elders. The holiday occurs around May or June on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. The festival has 2,000-year roots. There are several tales and legends about how dragon boat racing and rice ball tossing began, but the best-known is from 300BC poet Q Yuán (). Qu Yuan threw himself into a river to protest the annexation of his territory by a neighboring kingdom. When his corpse wasn’t located, the town’s citizens threw sticky rice into the river. The fish ate rice instead of the poet’s flesh. So came dragon boat racing and sticky rice dumplings (-zng zi).
In contemporary China and beyond, corporations offer yearly retreats and team development activities during the Dragon Boat Festival. Dragon boat racing, camping, and other outdoor activities are typically organized by companies during this period. Sharing zng zi is still considered lucky. Unlike other family-focused holidays, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated mostly in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Festival d’automne
The Mid-Autumn Celebration ( Zhng Qi Jié) is China’s annual harvest festival, held around September and October. The event began with a bountiful harvest and prayers for more. This day honors the moon, a symbol of rebirth. On festival day, the moon is thought to be roundest, symbolizing unification. Moon cakes, delectable pies with a whole egg yolk in the middle, symbolize the moon, family, and a prosperous harvest.
Mid-Autumn Festival is observed throughout Asia. Even in the West, moon cakes are marketed. Moon gazing, lantern parades, and family picnics are big parts of the holiday. Cities with substantial Chinese populations celebrate this day.
National Day
National Day is China’s longest public holiday break after the Lunar New Year. The event honors the 1949 foundation of the PRC. Since 1999, October 1st has started off Golden Week, a national shopping and tourist holiday. Spring Festival is likewise a week long, but family reunions and other rituals don’t allow for much spare time.
Most Chinese take their yearly vacation during Golden Week. Most establishments remain open and conduct massive bargains to accommodate consumer demand. As a consequence, National Day Golden Week has become one of China’s busiest shopping times. Top domestic tourist destinations like the Great Wall of China will be packed. Danger!
Tomb Sweeping Day and Double Ninth Festival, both lunar calendar festivals, are also important in China. Labour Day, the Communist Party and army anniversaries, and Double Eleven Singles Day are also notable. China’s rich past is reflected in its many festivals and festivities. While historical holidays will remain a staple of annual festivities, China’s development and progress will bring up additional events to celebrate in the future years.