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| Festivals |
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There are many traditional festivals in China each year, and the
Chinese celebrate their festivals in different ways. Most of the
festivals are related to some story which usually sings the praises
of a historical figure, describes a beautiful legend or wishes a
good harvest and happiness. All the traditional festivals are based
on the Chinese lunar calendar which has about 20 to 30 days difference
from the international calendar. You will be fortunate if you come
to China during one of these festivals, when you will get a glimpse
of the ancient culture, values and customs of the Chinese nation
through the celebration of these Chinese traditional festivals.
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| Spring Festival |
| This is the Chinese New Year on the first day of the
first month in the lunar calendar, usually falling in early February.
It is the most important festival in China and in other parts of the
world where there are Chinese communities. Like Christmas Day in the
West, this festival is a family celebration when the whole family
get together. Usually people try to Pay off all debts before the festival.
A few days before, people pay sacrifices to the Earth God who goes
up to the heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about the behaviour
of each family. On New Year's Eve, the whole family sit around tables
to have a grand feast and let off fireworks. (Nowadays fireworks are
forbidden in many large cities to prevent fire and injury.) In the
first few days of the New Year, people visit each other to bring their
good wishes for the new year, either for good health or good fortune.
In the past, people stopped doing any housework, including cooking,
for the first 15 days until the Lantern Festival. So people had to
eat things prepared in advance. This custom has changed now. |
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| Lantern Festival |
| On the 15th day of the 1st month of the lunar calendar,
it normally falls at the end of February, when people traditionally
come out to look at various lanterns in the streets or parks and eat
round, sweet rice-flour dumplings. |
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| Qingming Festival |
| Normally this falls on April 5, and is a festival to
remember the dead, when people traditionally go to visit the tombs
of their ancestors. On that day, if you are in Beijing, you will see
school children lay wreaths of flowers before the monument in Tian'anmen
Square in memory of martyrs who died in the wars. |
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| Mid-Autumn Festival |
| Also known as the Dragon Boat Festival and Moon Festival,
this is a festival to remember the patriotic poet Qu Yuan who drowned
himself in the river in 278 B.C. to oppose the rule of the Qin conqueror.
Traditionally people rowed dragon boats on the river and dropped rice
dumplings into the water to feed the fishes in the hope that Qu Yuan
would not be eaten by the fishes. |
| At this festival, families gather together to have
a feast and eat moon cakes while watching the full moon in the sky.
The moon cake symbolises family reunion because of its round shape.
If you come to Beijing at this festival, you will be treated well
by your hotel as a member of their big "hotel family". The moon cakes,
made of wheat flour with sweet fillings, are very tasty if you have
a sweet tooth. |
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| Double-nine Festival |
| This is a festival for old people on the 9th day of
the 9th month in lunar calendar which usually falls in October. |
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