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The Chinese, like other peoples, observe two sets
of holidays,
official and traditional. In addition, minority nationalities in China
have their own unique celebrations.
Official Chinese Holidays
Traditional Chinese Holidays
Minority Nationality Holidays
New Year's Day (January 1)
Not as much celebrated as it is in other parts
of the world
because it is overshadowed by the upcoming
Chinese New Year
somewhere a month away. However, employees
will enjoy a
paid day-off. And there will be parties everywhere,
in parks,
dancing halls and universities.
International Women's Day (March 8)
Interestingly, women employees will get a
whole or an half
paid day-off on the day while the men are
at the mercy of their
employers.
Tree-Planting Day (April 1)
Highly promoted since the late 70's by the
reformist
government and yet to become established.
It marks the
begining of a greening campaign all over the
country during the
month each year.
International Labor Day (May 1)
No less celebrated than the New Year's Day.
Employees will
enjoy a paid day-off. Celebration parties
in parks took the
place of parades today.
Youth Day (May 4)
A day in memory of the first mass student
movement in 1919,
a movement touched off by the then Chinese
government that
gave in to the Japanese government's attempt
to colonize
Shandong Province. It is also an anti-Confucius
movement as
well as one that promoted the western scientific
and
democratic ideas. Government organized youth
ralleys
everywhere in the country today characterizes
the celebration
of this day.
Children's Day (June 1)
It is the most momerable day of Chinese kids
all over the
country. Almost all entertainment places such
as cinimas,
parks and children museums and palaces are
open free to
them. Elementary schools throw celebration
parties while
parents shower them with presents.
The CCP's Birthday (July 1)
It marked the founnding of the Chinese Communist
Party in
1921 in Shanghai. It is usually characterized
by front page
editorials from major government newspagers.
Army's Day (August 1)
A communist-led nationalist army staged the
first armed
uprising in Chinese communist history against
the Nationalists
on August 1, 1927. It was regarded as the
beginning of the
Red Army (later the People's Liberation Army).
Now the
anniversary is often used to promote better
relationships
between the army and civilians, a tradition
believed to have
helped it beat the Nationalists during the
civil war in 1949.
Teacher's Day (September 1)
It was started in the early eighties as an
effort to reverse the
anti-intellectual sentiment nurtured by the
"Cultural
Revolution". It is yet to become an established
holiday.
National Day (October 1)
It is the anniversary of the founding of the
People's Republic of
China in 1949 in the wake of routing the Nationalists
who have
since taken refuge in Taiwan. There used to
be grand parades
squares of major cities of the country. Now
celebrations usually
take the form of parties in amusement parks
by day and
fire-works and grand TV ensembles during the
evening.
Employees enjoy two paid days-off. It is also
a good occasion
for many people to take a short excursion
to enjoy the beauty
of the golden Fall.
Traditional Chinese Holidays
The calendar the Chinese
traditional holidays follow is of a unique
lunar-solar system. Therefore, 1st of the 1st month referred
here does not necessarily mean January 1.
Lantern Festival (15th of the 1st month)
Lantern exhibits, lion and dragon dances,
and eating Tang
Yuan (ball-shaped boiled sweet rice dumplings
with delicious
stuffings.) feature this day. It is very much
celebrated in the
rural areas by farmers. The Lantern Festival
also marks the end
of the Chinese New Year season.
Qing Ming (Pure & Brignt in Chinese) (Fifth
of the 24 Solar Terms)
Originally it was a celebration of spring.
People used to
customarily go out on an excursion to "tread
grass". Later it
became day dedicated to the dear departed.
Tidying up
ancestors' tombs is its major big event.
Duan Wu (Dragon Boat) Festival (5th of the
5th month)
Said to be in memory of a great patiot poet
of the then State
of Chu during the Warring States period (475-221
B.C.), Qu
Yuan (Ch'u Yuan), who drowned himself to protest
his emperor
who gave in to the bully State of Chin. For
fear that fish may
comsume his body, people of Chu threw launched
their boats
and started throwing rice dumplings wrapped
in bamboo leaves
into the river where he was drowned to feed
the fish. Now the
big event of dragon boat contest may be a
legacy of such
activity. People today still eat the bamboo-leave
rice
dumplings on the occasion today.
The Seventh Eve (7th of the seventh month)
It is a traditional holiday almost lost to
the younger
generations today. It originates from a beautiful
legend about
a cowboy and a fairy who were crually separated
and renunited
once each year on this happy sad occasion.
A more detailed
story is forthcoming.
Mid-Autumn Festival (15th of the eighth month)
It is second only to the Chinese New Year
in significance. The
moon on this day is the fullest and largest
to the eye. Viewing
it by the whole family while feasting on good
wine, fruits and
moon-cakes features the night event. There
is also a beautiful
story behind it. Children are told that there's
fairy on the moon
living in a spacious but cold crystal palace
with her sole
companion, a jade rabbit. A heavenly general
and friend would
occasionally pay her a visit, bringing along
his fragrant wine.
She would then dance a beautiful dance. The
shadows on the
moon made the story all the more credible
and fascinating to
the young imaginative minds.
Spring Festival (The Chinese New Year) (1st
of the 1st month)
The biggest and most celebrated festival in
China and part of
east and south east Asia. For more details,
please refer to my
Chinese New Year homepage.(sorry, under construction
at this
moment)
Still under construction!
The Zhuang Song Festival
The Bai Third Moon Fair
The Dai (Tai) Watersprinkling Festival
The Tibetan New Year
The Mongolian Nadam Fair
The Yao Danu Festival
The Yi Torch Festival
The Miao New Year Festival
The Dong Fire-Works Festival
The Bouyei Dancing Party
The Tujia, Hui, Dongxiang, Baoan Songfest
The Moslem Corban Festival
The Jing Singing Festival
The Lisu Scimitar Rung Festival
The Jingbo Dancing Festival