FACTOID # 161: If you are looking for work, just go to the Falkland Islands! They have full employment and a labor shortage.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS    Advanced view

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > Traditional Chinese holidays

Life in the People's
Republic of China For the Chinese civilization, see China. ... For the Chinese civilization, see China. ...

Culture
Politics
Education
Communications
Public Health
Languages
Media
Human rights
Religion
Rural Life
Sexuality
Social issues
Transport
This box: view  talk  edit


The Traditional Chinese holidays have been part of Chinese tradition for thousands of years; they 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 Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other Asian countries. All traditional holidays are scheduled according to the Chinese calendar (except the Ching Ming and Winter Solstice days, falling on the respective Jie qi in the Agricultural calendar). This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Government of the Peoples Republic of China. ... This article is about Communications in mainland China. ... Since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, the goal of health programs has been to provide care to every member of the population and to make maximum use of limited health-care personnel, equipment, and financial resources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Continuing to occupy more than half of Chinas population, Rural life in the Peoples Republic of China has a varied range in terms of standard of living and living style. ... Sexuality in China has undergone revolutionary changes and this sexual revolution still continues today. ... Social issues in the Peoples Republic of China in the 21st century are varied. ... Chinese culture has roots going back over five thousand years. ... Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written form. ... Chinese New Year (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), or Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. ... This article is about the Korean peninsula and civilization. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. ...

Date English Name Chinese Name Remarks
Last day of 12th lunar month Chinese New Year Eve 除夕(chúxì),大年夜 Cleaning the house, putting up new posters of "door gods" on front doors, fireworks before the family union dinner, which should be at least 10 course meal with a whole fish entrée symbolizing the abundance of the coming year. (The fish entrée should not be consumed completely because the leftover symbolizes the abundance)
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, visiting in-laws
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
2nd day of 2nd lunar month Zhonghe Festival (Zhong He Jie) 中和节(zhōnghéjié) Eating Chinese fajitas (Chun Ping, 春饼) and noodles, rid of insect pests via house cleaning. Also known as Dragon Raising its Head
At the jie qi known as qing ming, solar longitude 15 degrees (around April 5) Qing Ming Jie (Tomb Sweeping Day)/Mourning Day / Ching Ming Festival 清明節(qīngmíngjié), 清明节 Visiting, cleaning, and make offerings at ancestral gravesites, spring outing
5th day of 5th lunar month Dragon Boat Festival (Dragon Festival) / Tuen Ng Festival 端午節(duānwǔjié), 端午节 Dragon boat racing, eat rice wrap Zongzi, commemorating 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(qīxì) 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 The day to burn paper "money" and make offerings to ancestors and the dead, so the spirits will not 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.
Day of the Winter Solstice (solar longitude 270 degrees), around December 22 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) It is the day the Buddha attained enlightenment. People usually eat Laba congee, which is usually made of mixed grains and fruits.

Chinese New Year (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), or Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. ... Year 2007 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi, Taiwan The Lantern Festival (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) or (Yuanxiao Festival), also known as the Shang Yuan Festival (上元节), is a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar year in the Chinese calendar. ... Zhonghe Festival (中和節, Zhōng Hé Jié) is a traditional Chinese festival held on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar. ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Qing Ming Jie (Chinese: 清明節; Hong Kong Ching Ming Festival; pinyin: qīng míng jié), literally Pure Brightness Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival/holiday on the 106th day after the winter solstice, occurring on April 4 or April 5 of the Gregorian calendar (see Chinese... Qing Ming Jie (Chinese: 清明節; Hong Kong Ching Ming Festival; pinyin: qīng míng jié), literally Pure Brightness Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival/holiday on the 106th day after the winter solstice, occurring on April 4 or April 5 of the Gregorian calendar (see Chinese... A Dragon boat (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ) is a very long and narrow human powered boat used in the team paddling sport or Dragon boat racing which originated in China. ... ... Zong, zongzi, or Chinese rice dumplings are a traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. ... Qu Yuan (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (ca. ... Qi Xi (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; literally The Night of Sevens), sometimes called Chinese Valentines Day or Magpie Festival, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar; thus its name. ... For other uses, see Vega (disambiguation). ... Altair (α Aql / α Aquilae / Alpha Aquilae / Atair ) is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and the twelfth brightest star in the nighttime sky, at visual magnitude 0. ... For other uses, see Milky Way (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Chinese Ghost Festival. ... Japanese name Kanji: Kana: Korean name Hangul: Hanja: Vietnamese name Quoc Ngu: Chu Nom: Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations in Victoria Park, Hong Kong. ... Traditional baked mooncake The mooncake (Simplified Chinese: 月饼; Traditional Chinese: 月餅; pinyin: ) is a Chinese confection that is traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, although they can be eaten at other times of the year as well. ... Change (mythology) - Chinese goddess Change program - unmanned space exploration mission to the Moon This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Double Ninth Festival (Chinese: ; pinyin: ChóngjiÇ”, also Traditional Chinese: 重陽節; pinyin: Chóngyángjié or Chung Yeung Festival in Hong Kong) dated on the ninth day of the ninth month in Chinese calendar, is a traditional Chinese holiday, mentioned in writing since before the East Han period. ... Double Ninth Festival (重九, also Chung Yeung Festival 重陽節 in Hong Kong) dated on the ninth day of the ninth month in Chinese calendar, is a traditional Chinese holidays, mentioned in writing since before the East Han period. ... Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of the northern hemisphere winter solstice Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of the southern hemisphere winter solstice In astronomy, the winter solstice is the moment when the earth is at a point in its orbit where one hemisphere is... is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Dōngzhì Festival or Winter Solstice Festival (Chinese: 冬至; Pinyin: dōng zhì; The Extreme of Winter) is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the Dongzhi solar term on or around December 21 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest; , on... Tangyuan (Simplified: 汤圆; Traditional: 湯圓; Hanyu Pinyin: ), is a Chinese food made from glutinous rice flour. ... Ancestor worship, also ancestor veneration, is a religious practice based on the belief that ones ancestors possess supernatural powers. ...

Reference

Source: Pinyin translated with CozyChinese.COM


Other cultures

Traditional holidays are generally celebrated within Chinese speaking territories of Greater China. Each region usually have their own holidays on top of the traditional Chinese set. Greater China in dark green, and areas with strong Chinese cultural influence in light green Greater China (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), or simply 大华/大華, is a term referring collectively to both the territories administered by the Peoples Republic of China as well as Hong Kong and Macau, and territories...

Holidays in mainland China: The three main holidays in the Peoples Republic of China are the Spring Festival, May Day, and National Day on October 1. ... The following is a list of the public holidays in Macau (Macao), as set by the Ordem Executiva nº 60/2000 (Executive Order no. ... Taipei Lantern Festival in the Chiang-Kai Shek memorial hall in Taipei, Taiwan. ... The major public holidays in Singapore reflect the cultural and religious diversity of the country, including the Chinese New Year, Buddhist Vesak Day, Muslim Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha (known locally by its Malay names Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji respectively), Hindu Diwali (known locally by...

See also


  Results from FactBites:
 
Welcome to Chinese Festivas page!inroduction of Chinese festivals and related articles (127 words)
The Chinese observe a wide variety of traditional and modern holidays, based both on the lunar and solar calendars.
The traditional Chinese calendar was based on a lunar cycle-- that is, dates following the regular appearance of the full moon.
Major holidays celebrated in China, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities are marked in bold, with this year's corresponding Gregorian dates in parenthesis.
  More results at FactBites »


 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code

Want to know more?
Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.