China - Culture and Festivals

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China - Culture and Festivals



Chinese festivals are an integral part of a Chinese culture. Most of the festivals are based on the Chinese Lunar calendar. Many festivals celebrated today were started long back in the Han Dynasty.
Here are some of the important Chinese festivals.


1. Chinese New Year :-

 It is also known as the Spring Festival. It is celebrated at the turn of traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. Traditional celebrations start from the evening preceding the 1st day of the New Year to the Lunar festival on the 15th day.

It usually falls on the new moon between 21st Jan and 20th Feb every year. This year it was celebrated on 16th Feb. Each Chinese year is associated with an animal sign from the Chinese Zodiac. This year it was dog. The signs repeat after every 12 years.

The festival celebrations include fire dance, dragon dance, family gatherings, giving red envelopes and decorating doors and windows of houses with red color paper cuts and couplets having writings for good fortune, wealth and longevity.


Chinese New Year festival is also celebrated on a large scale in neighboring countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Korea, Thailand etc.

Hong Kong, Macau, Beijing and Taiwan are the best places to enjoy this festival.


2. The Lantern Festival :-

 It is celebrated as the last day of the Chinese New Year festival.  It is also called Yuan Xioa Festival as everyone eats yuanxioa(rice balls stuffed with fillings).

The lanterns symbolize people letting go their past selves and getting new ones when starting a new year. Lantern are mostly red in color as it symbolizes good fortune.

Children go out at night to the temples carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on them. If the answer is correct then they are given sweets. Various dynasties which ruled over China celebrated the festival in different ways.
Solving riddles on the lanterns custom was started by the Song dynasty.



3. Qingming Festival :-

It is also known as the Tomb - Sweeping festival. It is celebrated on 1st of the 5th solar term of traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar.

The Qingming festival has close relationship with farmers as it indicates crucial time for plowing and sowing in spring.

Traditional customs include cleaning and sweeping of graves, ancestor worship, offering food and burning joss paper. Traditional activities also involve spring outings with friends or families and flying kites.



4. Dragon Boat Festival :-

 It is also known as Duanwu or Zhongxiao festivals and it occurs near summer solstice. It is celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th month of Chinese calendar.

It commemorates the death of poet Qu Yuan. When he committed suicide in Miluo river, the people who admired him raced to save him or atleast to retrieve his body. They dropped balls of sticky rice in the river so that the fish would eat them instead of his body. This is said to have been the origin of the festival and dragon boat races.

Traditional customs include dragon boat racing, having realgar wine and zongzi.
Hong Kong, Yueyang, Guizhou and Hangzhou are best places to see the dragon boat races.



5. Mid - Autumn Festival :-

 Mid - Autumn is a harvest festival celebrated by Chinese on the 15th day of 8th month of lunar calendar.This festival symbolizes harvest and family reunion.

It is similar to Thanksgiving festival from west. It basically symbolizes 3 things.

  • Gathering - that is family and friends reunion
  • Thanksgiving - giving thanks to harvest and harmonious union
  • Praying - asking for conceptual and material satisfaction
It is said that moon is brightest and roundest during this festival which is a auspicious symbol for harmony and luck. Moon cakes and cassia wines are specialty of this festival.

moon cake

6. Winter Solstice :-

 Also known as the Dongzhi festival, it is celebrated every year around 22nd December.

The origins of this festival can be traced back to yin yang philosophy. After this day there are longer daylight hours which indicates increase in positive energy.

Traditional activities involve making and eating of tangyuan (balls of glutinous rice, which symbolizes reunion). Old traditions involved people with same clan gathering at their ancestral temples.


7. Laba Festival :-

This festival is celebrated on the 8th day of La month(12th month) of Chinese calendar. It is customary to eat Laba Congee on this day. This festival is influenced by Buddhism and is celebrated on the same day when Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.

Before Qin Dynasty, the Laba festival was celebration of the new harvest.

It is a originally an occasion when people give sacrifices fir their ancestors and pray to heaven and earth for good harvest and good luck for family.

laba congee


8. China Hungry Ghost Festival :-

The Hungry Ghost festival is celebrated on 15th day of  seventh lunar month. It is one of the many Chinese festivals to worship their ancestors.

This festival was started during the Shang Dynasty, who offered their sacrifices to their forefathers.

The main ceremony of the festival is usually held at dusk. People put the family's ancestral tablets, paintings and photographs at the table and burn incense near them. They also put plates of foods near the table for the ghosts.

People also kowtow in front of the memorial tablets and report their behavior to receive blessings or punishments from their ancestors.




9. Harbin Ice Festival :-

 The Harbin Ice and Snow festival is a annual winter festival which is held in Harbin, Heilongjiang and is now the largest ice and snow festival in the world.

The lightning effects on the ice and snow sculptures are technologically sophisticated. This festival has almost 10 to 15 millions visitors every year. This festival is usually held from the end of December through February.

The best collection of art work is mainly exhibited at Sun Island, Ice and Snow World, Zhaolin Park, Ice Lantern Garden Party and Yabuli international Ski resort.




10. The National Day of China :-

 The National Day of China is celebrated every year on 1st October. It is celebrated throughout mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau with a variety of government organized festivities including fireworks and concerts.

Public places like Tiananmen Square in Beijing are decorated in festive theme. Portraits of revered leaders like Mao Zedong are displayed publicly.

This festival also marks the beginning of the Golden Week, which is a 7 day national holiday. People travel a lot during this period and boost the tourism industry. Hence the name Golden Week.





References :-

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