Chinese Festivals and Holidays

— Legends and Customs

Spring Festival Spring Festival — Chinese New Year— Chinese New Year

• 1st day of the 1st lunar month (somewhere between January 30 and February 20 )

• The most important festival for the Chinese people– The beginning of spring– A festival of reunion

Legend of Spring FestivalLegend of Spring Festival

Customs of Spring FestivalCustoms of Spring Festival

• New Year’s Eve Dinner• Pay A New Year Call• Walking on Stilts• Dragon Dance• Lion Dance• Fireworks & Firecrackers• Spring Couplets• Red Packets

New Year’s Eve DinnerNew Year’s Eve Dinner

Pay A New Year CallPay A New Year Call

Walking on StiltsWalking on Stilts

Dragon DanceDragon Dance

Lion DanceLion Dance

Fireworks and Firecrackers DisplayFireworks and Firecrackers Display

Spring CoupletsSpring Couplets

Red PacketsRed Packets

Food For Spring FestivalFood For Spring Festival

DumplingDumpling

New Year’s CakeNew Year’s Cake

Lantern FestivalLantern Festival

Lantern FestivalLantern Festival

Time• The 15th day of the 1st lunar month (when

the first full moon enters the New Year)SignificanceChinese HalloweenActivities• Watching Lanterns• "Guessing Lantern Riddles" • Eating Yuanxiao (Rice Dumplings)

Watching Lanterns

• Originated in Buddhist rites

• Watching Sarira, or the remains from the cremation of Buddha's body.

• Lanterns are ordered to be lighted to worship Buddha.

Lantern FestivalLantern Festival

• Traditionally, it once served as a day for love and matchmaking.

• Young people were chaperoned in the streets in the hope of finding love.

• Matchmakers acted busily in hopes of pairing couples.

• Often, those with brightest lanterns were deemed good luck and hope.

Guessing Lantern Riddles

• It is an essential part of the festival;

• Lantern owners write riddles on a piece of paper and post them on the lanterns. If visitors have solutions to the riddles, they can pull the paper out and go to the lantern owners to check the answer and rewarded a little gift.

Yuanxiao (Rice Dumplings)Yuanxiao (Rice Dumplings)

Qingming Qingming — — Tomb Sweeping FestivalTomb Sweeping Festival

• Two weeks after the Vernal Equinox Two weeks after the Vernal Equinox (the 4th, 5th, or 6th of April ) (the 4th, 5th, or 6th of April )

• The most important springtime festivalThe most important springtime festival

• A day for mourning the deadA day for mourning the dead

• Also a day to celebrate the coming of Also a day to celebrate the coming of spring and a happy occasion for spring and a happy occasion for outdoor activitiesoutdoor activities

Customs of Tomb Sweeping FestivalCustoms of Tomb Sweeping Festival

• Tomb Sweeping or Ancestor Worshipping

• Burning Paper Treasures

• Cold Foods

• Planting Trees/Arbor Day

• Kite-Flying

• Spring Outings

Duan Wu FestivalDuan Wu Festival— Dragon Boat Festival— Dragon Boat Festival

• The 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar year

• A day to remember a great patriotic poet named Qu Yuan

• People have Dragon Boat Races, eat Zong Zi and carry a spice bag around with them

Dragon Boat RaceDragon Boat Race

Zong ZiZong Zi

Spice BagSpice Bag

Qi Qiao Jie Qi Qiao Jie — Chinese Valentine’s Day— Chinese Valentine’s Day

• The seventh day of the seventh month The seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar (August)on the Chinese lunar calendar (August)

• Also known as “The Begging Festival” Also known as “The Begging Festival” or “The Daughter’s Festival”or “The Daughter’s Festival”

• Girls prepare melons and fruit before Girls prepare melons and fruit before worship and prayers for a good worship and prayers for a good marriagemarriage

• Couples go to matchmaker temples to Couples go to matchmaker temples to pray for everlasting love and marriagepray for everlasting love and marriage

To Love and to Wait To Love and to Wait — A Romantic Legend— A Romantic Legend

Mid-Autumn FestivalMid-Autumn Festival

• The 15th day of the 8th lunar month The 15th day of the 8th lunar month (believed to be the exact midst of (believed to be the exact midst of autumn)autumn)

• One of the most important festivals One of the most important festivals in Chinain China

• A day for family reunionA day for family reunion• People eat moon cakes and People eat moon cakes and

appreciate the round moonappreciate the round moon

Legend of Mid-Autumn FestivalLegend of Mid-Autumn Festival

Customs of Mid-Autumn FestivalCustoms of Mid-Autumn Festival

• Family members get together• Going out to attend special

performances in parks or on public squares

• Huge lantern show in Guangzhou• Watching the flood tide of the

Qiantang River in Zhejiang Province

Moon CakeMoon Cake

"Thinking of You"

• When will the moon be clear and bright? With a cup of wine in my hand, I ask the blue sky. I don't know what season it would be in the heavens on this night. I'd like to ride the wind to fly home. Yet I fear the crystal and jade mansions are much too high and cold for me.

"Thinking of You " (Cont’d)

• Dancing with my moon-lit shadow It does not seem like the human world The moon rounds the red mansion Stoops to silk-pad doors Shines upon the sleepless Bearing no grudge Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?

"Thinking of You " (Cont’d)

• People may have sorrow or joy, be near or far apart The moon may be dim or bright, wax or wane

This has been going on since the beginning of time May we all be blessed with longevity Though far apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together.

Double Ninth FestivalDouble Ninth Festival

Time:• The ninth day of the ninth month of the

Chinese lunar calendar

Activities:• Climbing a mountain• Carrying a spray of dogwood • Drinking chrysanthemum wine

Special FoodSpecial Food

ON THE MOUNTAIN HOLIDAY THINKING OF MY BROTHERS IN

SHANDONG• I am a stranger in a strange country lonely,

While the festivals missing my families much more. Seeing my brothers climb up mountains from far, Transplanting cornus everywhere but missing mine.

• chrysanthemum

Laba FestivalLaba Festival

• The eighth day of the last lunar The eighth day of the last lunar month (the traditional start of month (the traditional start of celebrations for the Chinese New celebrations for the Chinese New Year)Year)

• People eat Laba rice porridgePeople eat Laba rice porridge

Laba Rice PorridgeLaba Rice Porridge

Other National HolidaysOther National Holidays• New Year’s Day (January 1)• May Day Holiday (May 1)• Children’s Day (June 1)• Founding Anniversary of the Chinese

People’s Liberation Army (July 1)• Founding Anniversary of the Communist

Party of China (August 1)• Teacher’s Day (September 10)• Founding Anniversary of the People’s

Republic of China (October 1)