Traditional Chinese holidays

The traditional Chinese holidays are an essential part of Chinese culture. Many holidays are associated with Chinese mythology and folklore tales, but more realistically, they probably originated from ancient farmer rituals for celebrating harvests or prayer offerings. The most important Chinese holiday is the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), which is also celebrated in Korea, Vietnam, and other Asian countries. All traditional holidays are scheduled according to the Chinese calendar (except the Qing Ming and Winter Solstice days, falling on the respective Jie qi in the Agricultural calendar).

Date English Name Chinese Name Remarks
Last day of lunar year Chinese New Year Eve 除夕(chúxī)，大年夜
1st day of 1st lunar month Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) 新年(xīnnián), 农历新年, 春節, 春节,大年初一 More fireworks after midnight, visit family members.
15th day of 1st lunar month Lantern Festival 元宵節(yuánxiāojié)/元宵节，小年 Lantern parade and lion dance celebrating the first full moon. Eating tangyuan. This day is also the last day of new year celebration.
2nd day of 2nd lunar month Zhonghe Festival (Zhong He Jie), Blue Dragon Festival 中和節(zhōnghéjié)/中和节, 青龙节 (qinglong jie)/青龙節 Eat Chinese pancakes (Chun bing, 春饼) and noodles, clean the house. Also known as Dragon Raising its Head
3rd day of 3rd lunar month Shangsi Festival (Shang Si Jie) 上巳節 (shàngsìjié)/上巳节, Traditional Chinese Women's Day, also known as 妇女节(fùnǚjié)
At the jie qi known as qing ming, solar longitude 15 degrees, 104 days after winter solstice (around April 5) Qing Ming Jie (Tomb Sweeping Day)/Mourning Day / Ching Ming Festival 清明節(qīngmíngjié)/清明节 Visit, clean, and make offerings at ancestral gravesites, spring outing
5th day of 5th lunar month Duanwu Festival (Dragon Boat Festival) / Tuen Ng Festival 端午節(duānwǔjié)/端午节 Dragon boat race, eat dumplings wrapped in lotus leaves Zongzi. This festival commemorates the ancient poet Qu Yuan; drink yellow rice wine, related to the White Snake Lady legend
7th day of 7th lunar month The Night of Sevens /Magpie Festival/ Qi Xi 七夕(qīxī) According to legend, the goddess "Zhi Nü" (the star Vega) fell in love with the farmer boy "Niu Lang" (the star Altair), but was disapproved by the her mother goddess. As punishment, they were separated by the Milky Way and could only meet once a year on this night.
15th day of 7th lunar month Spirit Festival (Ghost Festival) 中元節(zhōngyuánjié)/中元节 Burn fake paper money and make offerings to ancestors and the dead to appease them, so they will not come and trouble the living.
15th day of 8th lunar month Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival) 中秋節(zhōngqiūjié)/中秋节 Eat mooncake, family union meal, related to the legend of Chang E
9th day of 9th lunar month Double Ninth Festival /Dual-Yang Festival/ Chung Yeung Festival 重陽節(chóngyángjié)/重阳节 Autumn outing and mountain climbing, some Chinese also visit the graves of their ancestors to pay their respects.
15th day of the 10th lunar month Spirit Festival/ Water Lantern Festival 下元節 (xiayuanjie)/下元节 Set flower shaped lanterns adrift in a stream or river at sundown, give offerings to deceased whose wandering spirits/ghosts may return at night to visit.
21st or 22nd of December Winter Solstice Festival/Mid-Winter Festival 冬至(dōngzhì) Have Tangyuan and Jiuniang and perform ancestor worship, Feast day, family gatherings, also named "Chinese Thanksgiving"
8th day of 12th lunar month Laba Festival/Congee Festival 腊八节(làbājié) This is the day the Buddha attained enlightenment. People usually eat Laba congee, which is made of mixed grains and fruits.

Contents

Dates for Chinese Traditional Festivals (2008-2015)

Spring (New Year) Lantern Azure Dragon Shangsi Qing Ming Dragon Boat Double Seventh Ghost Mid-Autumn Double Ninth Water Lantern Winter Laba
2008 Feb. 7 Feb. 21 Mar. 9 Apr. 8 Apr. 4 Jun. 8 Aug. 7 Aug. 15 Sept. 14 Oct. 7 Nov. 12 Dec. 4 Jan. 3*
2009 Jan. 26 Feb. 9 Feb. 26 Mar. 29 Apr. 4 May 28 Aug. 26 Sept. 3 Oct. 3 Oct. 26 Dec. 1 Dec. 22 Jan. 22*
2010 Feb. 14 Feb. 28 Mar. 17 Apr. 16 Apr. 5 Jun. 16 Aug. 16 Aug. 24 Sept. 22 Oct. 16 Nov. 20 Dec. 12 Jan. 11*
2011 Feb. 3 Feb. 17 Mar. 6 Apr. 5 Apr. 5 Jun. 6 Aug. 6 Aug. 14 Sep. 12 Oct. 5 Nov. 10 Dec. 1 Jan. 1*
2012 Jan. 23 Feb. 6 Feb. 23 Mar. 24 Apr. 4 Jun. 23 Aug. 23 Aug. 31 Sept. 30 Oct. 23 Nov. 28 Dec. 19 Jan. 19*
2013 Feb. 10 Feb. 24 Mar. 13 Apr. 12 Apr. 4 Jun. 12 Aug. 13 Aug. 21 Sept. 19 Oct. 13 Nov. 17 Dec. 9 Jan. 8*
2014 Jan. 31 Feb. 14 Mar. 2 Apr. 2 Apr. 5 Jun. 2 Aug. 2 Aug. 10 Sept. 8 Oct. 2 Dec. 6 Dec. 28 Jan. 27*
2015 Feb. 19 Mar. 5 Mar. 21 Apr. 21 Apr. 5 Jun. 20 Aug. 20 Aug. 28 Sept. 27 Oct. 21 Nov. 26 Dec. 17 Jan. 17*
* denotes the following Gregorian civil year[1]

Public holidays

Traditional holidays are generally celebrated in Chinese speaking regions. For the most part, however, only Chinese New Year, Qingming Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival are statutory public holidays. This is the case in both mainland China and Taiwan, whilst Hong Kong and Macau also observe Buddha's Birthday and Chung Yeung Festival. In Singapore, Chinese New Year is the only traditional Chinese public holiday likewise with Malaysia

Each region has its own holidays on top of this condensed traditional Chinese set. Mainland China and Taiwan observe patriotic holidays, Hong Kong and Macau observe Christian holidays, and Singapore celebrates Malay and Indian festivals.

See also

References

  1. ^ Dates in table (with exception of Qing Ming) converted to Gregorian civil calendar using the Calendrical Calculations applet, 2010-01-05.

External links

Golden Weeks
Other Holidays
Overview topics
Major entities
Creatures
Places
Popular literary works
Wide use
Astronomical · Chinese · Gregorian · Hijri · Solar Hijri · ISO
Calendar types: Lunar · Lunisolar · Solar
Selected use
Akan · Armenian  · Assyrian · Aztec (Tonalpohualli · Xiuhpohualli) · Babylonian · Bahá'í · Bengali · Berber · Bikram Samwat · Buddhist · Bulgar  · Burmese · Byzantine · Celtic · Coptic · Ethiopian · Georgian · Hebrew · Hellenic · Hindu (Indian · Malayalam · Tamil) · Igbo · Inca · Iranian (Zoroastrian, Medieval (Jalali), Modern (Hijri)) · Irish · Japanese · Javanese · Juche · Korean · Kurdish · Lithuanian · Maya (Haab' · Tzolk'in) · Minguo · Mongolian · Nanakshahi · Nepal Sambat · Pawukon · Pentecontad · Rapa Nui · Thai (Lunar · Solar) · Tibetan · Vietnamese · Xhosa · Yoruba
Calendar types: Runic · Mesoamerican (Long Count · Calendar round)
Christian variants: Calendar of saints · Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar · Liturgical year · Revised Julian calendar
Rarely used
Historical
Martian
Alternative
New Age
Displays and
applications
Proposed calendars
Year numbering
Fictional