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).
| 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. |
Timetable of Chinese Traditional Festivals (2007-2015)
| Year | Spring Festival | Lantern Festival | Qingming Festival | Dragon Boat | Double Seventh | Mid-autumn Festival | Chongyang Festival | Laba Festival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Feb. 7 | Feb. 21 | Apr. 4 | Jun. 8 | Aug. 7 | Sept. 14 | Oct. 7 | Jan. 3, 2009 |
| 2009 | Jan.26 | Feb.9 | Apr. 4 | May 28 | Aug. 26 | Oct. 3 | Oct. 26 | Jan. 22, 2010 |
| 2010 | Feb. 14 | Feb.28 | Apr. 5 | Jun. 16 | Aug. 16 | Sept. 22 | Oct. 16 | Jan. 11, 2011 |
| 2011 | Feb. 3 | Feb. 17 | Apr. 5 | Jun. 6 | Aug. 6 | Sep. 12 | Oct. 5 | Jan. 1, 2012 |
| 2012 | Jan. 23 | Feb. 6 | Apr. 4 | Jun. 23 | Aug. 23 | Sept. 30 | Oct. 23 | Jan. 19, 2013 |
| 2013 | Feb. 10 | Feb. 24 | Apr. 4 | Jun. 12 | Aug. 13 | Sept. 19 | Oct. 13 | Jan. 8, 2014 |
| 2014 | Jan. 31 | Feb. 14 | Apr. 5 | Jun. 2 | Aug. 2 | Sept. 8 | Oct. 2 | Jan. 27, 2015 |
| 2015 | Feb. 19 | Mar. 5 | Apr. 5 | Jun. 20 | Aug. 20 | Sept. 27 | Oct. 21 | Jan. 17, 2016 |
Contents |
References
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.
- Holidays in the People's Republic of China
- Holidays in Macau
- Holidays in Taiwan
- Holidays in Singapore
