China is a country with a long history, and many traditional folk customs are widely spread and preserved. Today is April 16th (March 16th in the lunar calendar). What are the traditional festival customs in various places?
Chinese legal holidays include New Year's Day (January 1, one day off); Spring Festival (Lunar New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve, the first day of the first month, and the second day of the first day are three days off); Tomb-sweeping Day (the day of the lunar calendar, one day off); International Women's Day (March 8, a half-day holiday for women); Arbor Day (March 12); International Labor Day (May 1, a one-day holiday); China Youth Day (May 4, a half-day holiday for youths over the age of 14); Dragon Boat Festival ( The Dragon Boat Festival of the lunar calendar, one day off); International Nurses Day (May 12); Children's Day (June 1, 14-year-old children have one day off); The birth anniversary of the Communist Party of China (July 1); Military Memorial Day (August 1st, half-day off for active servicemen); Teacher's Day (September 10th); Mid-Autumn Festival (one day off on the Mid-Autumn Festival in the lunar calendar); National Day (October 1st, three-day holiday); Journalist's Day (November 8). [National Holidays and Memorial Day Holidays] The Anniversary of the Emancipation of Millions of Serfs in Tibet
Birthday of the Great Sage Buddha: In some areas of Guangdong, people believe that the 16th day of the third lunar month is the birthday of the Great Sage Buddha. To hold a grand celebration, people will invite Marshal Li and the third prince of Nezha from the ancient temple in Huizhou to come here to pray for good weather and peace for the country and the people. The ghost boy will sit on a nailed sedan chair and cruise around. People respectfully carry the gods, praying for the blessings of the gods, protecting the environment, and bestowing blessings.
Wenwangshan Temple Fair: Every March 16th is the Wenwangshan Temple Fair. During the festival, local people will spontaneously come to Wenwang Mountain, where the mountain gods offer incense, burn incense, dance Yangko, sing big operas, eat vegetarian food, celebrate the temple fair of the mountain gods, pray for the trees, and the prosperity of people and animals.
The Zhonghe Festival falls on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, commonly known as the dragon raising its head. At this time, around the time of Jingzhe, spring returns to the earth, all things recover, and insects, snakes and beasts in the dormant soil or caves wake up from hibernation. According to legend, the dragon wakes up from a deep sleep, so it is called dragon raising its head. In ancient times, the dragon was a sacred symbol, so the dragon was used to expel pests. Smoked insects were popular in the Ming Dynasty. On February 2, people would sacrifice the remaining cakes on New Year's Day and fry them with oil to smoke beds and kangs, called smoked insects. In the countryside, the common people wind around the house with grass, trees and ash, and circle the water tank in the courtyard, leading the dragon back. Yes, this day's diet is named after many dragons. Eating dumplings is called eating dragon ears, eating spring pancakes is called eating dragon scales, eating noodles is called eating dragon beard, and now "dragon beard noodles" get its name from this. Children shave their hair on this day, which is called "shaving the dragon's head". Women don't do needlework on this day, it is said to avoid hurting longan. There are also candles that illuminate the walls of the house, and there is a saying "February 2, illuminate the beams of the house, and scorpions and centipedes hide". However, people have forgotten this festival, but the custom of eating spring pancakes still exists.
Chinese traditional festivals include Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Ching Ming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition, various ethnic minorities retain their own traditional festivals, such as the Dai Water-Sprinkling Festival, the Mongolian Nadam Festival, the Yi Torch Festival, the Yao Danu Festival, the Bai Nationality’s March Street, the Zhuang Nationality Song Fair, the Tibetan Tibetan New Year and Wangguo Festival, and the Miao Nationality’s Flower Dance. Festival.
According to legend, Zhuanxu, one of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, started on Chinese New Year's Day, which has a history of more than 3,000 years. The word "New Year's Day" appears in the "Book of Jin": "Emperor Zhuan Mengxia is the first month of the year, Zhengshuo New Year's Day is spring". During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xiao Ziyun's "Jie Ya" poem in the Southern Dynasties recorded "Four Seasons New Year's Day, Longevity and Early Spring Dynasty".
Further reading…
Gregorian Lunar Calendar Comparison Table: March of the Lunar Calendar in 2024
The Spring Festival is the first traditional festival of the year for Chinese people. In the past, the Spring Festival was called "New Year" because the Chinese traditionally used the lunar calendar, and this day was the first day of the first lunar month, the beginning of the year. According to records, the Chinese people have celebrated the Spring Festival for more than 4,000 years, and it was the rise of Yu Shun. One day in more than two thousand years BC, Shun was the Son of Heaven, leading his subordinates to worship the heaven and the earth. From then on, people regard this day as the first day of the first lunar month. It is said that the origin of the Lunar New Year, later called the Spring Festival. After the Revolution of 1911, China adopted the Gregorian calendar to record the year, and the Lunar New Year was renamed "Spring Festival" (between late January and mid-February in the Gregorian calendar). During the Spring Festival, every family posts Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures, and decorates the living room. The night before the Spring Festival is called "New Year's Eve". It is a time for family reunion. The whole family gathers together and eats a "New Year's Eve dinner"; The next day, everyone began to visit relatives and friends' homes for "New Year's greetings", greetings and wishing all the best for the year. During the Spring Festival, traditional cultural activities such as lion dance, dragon lantern dance, dry boat rowing and walking on stilts are common. Introduction to the Spring Festival Customs Food Customs Watching the New Year Minority Spring Festival Spring Festival Poetry
The Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar is also known as Shangyuan Festival, Yuan Ye and Lantern Festival. This is the first full moon night after the Spring Festival. According to legend, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty (179 BC-157 BC) celebrated the fifteenth day of the first lunar month when Zhou Bo surveyed and pacified Zhulu. On this night, he would go out of the palace to play and have fun with the people, and the fifteenth day of the first month was designated as the Lantern Festival. Sima Qian created the "Taichu Calendar", and the Lantern Festival was listed as a festival. Since the Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, it has been very popular for a while. "Sui Shu·Music History" stated: "In the first month, all nations come to court, and they stay until the 15th day outside Duanmen and inside Jianguomen, stretching for eight miles, and there are theaters." There are tens of thousands of people participating in singing and dancing. Let it be dark. As society and times change, the customs and habits of the Lantern Festival have changed, but it is a traditional Chinese folk festival. During the Lantern Festival, there are customs of eating Lantern Festival and watching lanterns. The glutinous rice flour skin of the Lantern Festival is wrapped with fruit and sugar fillings, and is round, which is a symbol of "reunion". Viewing lanterns during the Lantern Festival was popular in various places in the first century AD. On the night of the Lantern Festival, many cities hold lantern festivals, displaying all kinds of colorful lanterns with novel shapes and various poses; in rural areas, cultural and entertainment activities are held, such as setting off fireworks, walking on stilts, playing dragon lanterns, twisting yangko, and swinging.
The Zhonghe Festival falls on the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, commonly known as the dragon raising its head. At this time, around the time of Jingzhe, spring returns to the earth, all things recover, and insects, snakes and beasts in the dormant soil or caves wake up from hibernation. According to legend, the dragon wakes up from a deep sleep, so it is called dragon raising its head. In ancient times, the dragon was a sacred symbol, so the dragon was used to expel pests. Smoked insects were popular in the Ming Dynasty. On February 2, people would sacrifice the remaining cakes on New Year's Day and fry them with oil to smoke beds and kangs, called smoked insects. In the countryside, the common people wind around the house with grass, trees and ash, and circle the water tank in the courtyard, leading the dragon back. Yes, this day's diet is named after many dragons. Eating dumplings is called eating dragon ears, eating spring pancakes is called eating dragon scales, eating noodles is called eating dragon beard, and now "dragon beard noodles" get its name from this. Children shave their hair on this day, which is called "shaving the dragon's head". Women don't do needlework on this day, it is said to avoid hurting longan. There are also candles that illuminate the walls of the house, and there is a saying "February 2, illuminate the beams of the house, and scorpions and centipedes hide". However, people have forgotten this festival, but the custom of eating spring pancakes still exists.
Further reading…
Tomb-sweeping Day around April 5. Qingming Festival was called March Festival in ancient times and has a history of more than 2,000 years. Tomb-sweeping Day, around April 5th in the Gregorian calendar, is one of the twenty-four solar terms. Among the twenty-four solar terms, both solar terms and festivals are the only ones. Tomb-sweeping Day was originally a festival for sacrificing ancestors, but now it is the day to carry out activities of worshiping martyrs' tombs and mourning. At that time, when the weather gets warmer and the vegetation is green, people go to the suburbs for outings, fly kites, and enjoy the spring scenery, so Qingming Festival is sometimes called "Outing Qing Festival".
The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar is the Dragon Boat Festival, whose real name is "Dragon Boat Festival". Volume 31 of "Taiping Yulan" quotes "Feng Tu Ji" with the sentence "Midsummer Dragon Boat Festival, Duan, Chu". It is believed that it was created to commemorate the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan (340 BC-278 BC) was a native of Chu State during the Warring States Period. He was unable to realize his political ideals and was unable to save Chu State from perishing. Knowing that, he sailed a boat to salvage Qu Yuan's body. To commemorate this patriotic poet, later generations will designate this day as the Dragon Boat Festival. During this festival, there are folk customs of bringing sachets, eating rice dumplings, and racing dragon boats. The sachet means that Qu Yuan's moral integrity is like a posthumous posthumous art, which will last forever: Zongzi was originally used to prevent Qu Yuan's corpse from being eaten, and later became a festival food, and rowing a dragon boat means to rescue Qu Yuan.
The seventh night of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is called "Qixi", which is the day when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet every year in legend. It was the evening, and the melons and fruits were in the court, and the girls tied colorful strands and pierced them with seven holes. It is said that the one who wears it is skillful. "Qiqiao Festival" is called "Girl's Day" because most of the girls participate.