Chinese holidays are divided into national official and traditional. Here, for example, as in many post-Soviet countries, workers' day is celebrated - May 1, and March 8 - International Women's Day. The traditional ones are celebrated according to the lunar calendar, on certain days. There is a list of state official and New Year's Eve according to European traditions - January 1 . In China, this day is a day off.
In total, the local calendar counts seven Chinese holidays, when the country's population has legal holidays. For hardworking citizens, whose work week lasts sixty hours, and for vacation is given only ten days a year, this is the time for trips to relatives, travel and extra rest with the family.
Holidays. What are in this country?
Holidays on the Chinese calendar:
- Traditional New Year - January 1.
- Chinese Spring Festival (according to the lunar calendar, dates are different every year, from January 21 to February 21).
- Qingming is the day of remembrance of the dead, April 4 or 5.
- Day of Workers' Solidarity - May 1.
- The beginning of summer is celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.
- The festival of gray hair in autumn is the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.
- The day of the creation of the PRC is October 1.
There are other significant dates in the calendar devoted to traditions, national heroes of the country, children, language. But these days the local people do not rest and do not hold magnificent festivities.
Chinese New Year - Chunjie
The celebration of the New Year in the conventional sense is not given much importance. The most popular, long-lasting and bright holiday is the Chinese New Year. They celebrate it for two weeks, but only 7 on the official weekend. The working population for the most part lives in large cities of the country and tries to get home to their relatives this weekend. Chinese New Year holidays - a purely family event. Celebrate the celebration in the family circle.
The advent of the new year marks the beginning of spring. Its name - chunjie - is translated from Chinese as a holiday of spring. Many myths and legends, various superstitions, which modern Chinese still adhere to, are devoted to this celebration.
According to legend, the new year began when a mythical animal came to the villages, which ate food supplies, livestock and even small children. To protect themselves from this beast, people left a large amount of food on the threshold of their homes. It was believed that the more the mythical animal eats, the calmer it will become and will not eat children. Once people saw that the beast was frightened and ran away from a child who was wearing red clothes. Then they decided: in order to scare away the mythical animal, one should hang garlands, lanterns and scrolls of all shades of red on houses and streets. It was also believed that the beast can be scared by a loud noise. Before the invention of gunpowder, kitchen utensils were used, with the help of which the intruder was noisy and chased away. Later in the country during the triumph it became customary to start blowing up crackers, firecrackers and launching fireworks.
On Chinese New Year holidays, houses and streets are decorated with red lights and garlands. The beginning of the year is celebrated with family feasts, give each other gifts in red bags with the wishes of health and well-being.
On the eve of the holiday, according to tradition, it is customary to do a general cleaning in the house, discarding everything old and unnecessary that has accumulated over the year. With garbage and rubbish, stagnant energy is thrown out of the houses, a new and clean qi will take up the vacated space.
The Chinese have not decided to put a Christmas tree. It is replaced by tangerines and oranges, laid out on trays in the amount of eight pieces. Eight is a symbol of infinity. And citrus fruits symbolize well-being and prosperity. All shades of red are present not only in Christmas decorations, but also in clothes.
On the streets of the cities mass rallies and performances are organized, fireworks are launched at night.
Yuanxiaojie
The festivities are completed by the Chinese Lantern Festival - yuanxiaojie. It is believed that this celebration marks the arrival of spring. On the night of the 15th day of the first lunar month, millions of lanterns light up throughout China.
Sky lanterns are a real work of art. By tradition, they are made of paper and lightweight frame. And they are launched into the night sky with the help of hot air from small candles on the frame. Modern models are made from plastic bags. In large cities of the republic, festivals of lanterns are held.
Celebration of Pure Light - Qingming
These days, the Chinese commemorate the dead. The holiday begins on the 15th day after the vernal equinox, on the 108th after the winter solstice. In 2018, this day falls on April 5th.
Two to three days are allotted for these events. When the Chinese holidays commemorate the dead ancestors begin, the local people go to the cemeteries to clean up the graves, decorate them with wreaths and flowers, and renew the inscriptions on the tombstones. After they pray. Local residents also burn incense and make obeisances. The Chinese believe that there is money in the afterlife. One of the rituals involves burning bills above the grave. To do this, people use fake money, and their copies with a nonexistent denomination.
These days in China, they not only commemorate the deceased relatives and close people, but also celebrate the onset of spring. It is accepted by the family to go on a picnic or to gather for a festive dinner. By tradition, special Chinese dishes should be on the table. Depending on the region of the country, they may differ.
March 8. Is it celebrated in China?
The Chinese holiday of March 8 in the country is not considered a day off. But, as in other countries where it is customary to celebrate International Women's Day, men try to buy gifts and present flowers in advance. The Chinese are practical people, they believe that the gift should be useful, even if not very expensive. Men give women:
- flowers
- sweets;
- fashionable clothes;
- cosmetics;
- Gift certificates to spas or beauty salons.
The local girls who work, most of the employers on March 8 have a short working day.
May 1 - Day of Workers' Solidarity
Workers' Day of Solidarity in China dates back to 1918. The revolutionary intelligentsia of the country distributed leaflets informing about this day. In 1920, China hosted the first labor day demonstrations. In 1949, the government declared May 1 an official holiday.
Traditionally, the country rests for 3 days, from May 1 to 3. In 2018, due to the transfer of days off, May will last from April 29 to May 1.
These days, street leaders give speeches by party leaders, company executives at holiday meetings reward the best workers. People attend concerts in families and go on short trips out of town.
Beginning of Summer - Duangu Dragon Boat Festival
Such a celebration is also called the feast of the double five. Because they celebrate it on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Traditional Chinese holidays are usually dedicated to the beginning of summer. There are three days off for the celebration. Most Chinese people use weekends to travel to their families. Therefore, on all modes of transport there is a large influx of passengers.
The main tradition of the holiday is dragon boat racing. Throughout the country, competitions are held on such a water transport, in its form resembling dragons. The distance that the boats pass is about 1.5 kilometers. The number of rowers is up to 20 people, one of them sits on the bow of the boat and hits the drum. On this day, it is customary to serve chunzi as a treat. These are rice balls with various fillings, wrapped in sheets of reed or bamboo, tied with ribbons.
Where does this tradition come from?
It was on this day that Qu Yuan, a wise minister who served at the royal court, died during the era of the Battle of the Kings. Having many ill-wishers, he was repeatedly exiled, where he found his death. According to some sources, he committed suicide from despair. According to another version, enemies killed him and threw the body into the river. When people found out about this, they began to look for him.
They threw rice into the water. They did this in order to feed the fish, which could damage the body. According to legend, the spirit of the official who appeared to people said that all the rice is eaten by the river dragon. To scare him away, the croup must be wrapped in bamboo leaves and bandaged with a ribbon, and still need to make noise. So rice balls and boat races, accompanied by drumming, became a symbol of this celebration.
Mid-Autumn Festival - Zhongjujie
One of the most important Chinese holidays, in importance second only to the New Year, marks the middle of the year cycle. This year it falls on September 24th. On the day dedicated to the celebration, it is customary to treat each other with moon cakes. And what are they? Now let's figure it out. Yuebiny - moon cakes of various shapes filled with a mixture of nuts, fruits, lotus or bean paste. On these products hieroglyphs, flowers and ornaments are depicted.
There are several legends on the basis of which this Chinese holiday was born in China. One of them says that the wife of an earthly man drank a magic elixir, presented to him by a sorceress for his merits. After which the latter sent the girl to the moon as punishment. After her death, her husband went to the Sun. Only once a year are they allowed to meet, on mid-autumn day. By the arrival of her husband, his wife bakes moon cakes.
However, there is a more prosaic explanation for this holiday. For residents in rural areas, this celebration takes place at the end of September - beginning of October. At this time, the crop has already been harvested. And this is an occasion to gather in the family circle and celebrate.
People gather with close relatives at the festive table. At the same time, they admire the night luminary at night. It is believed that on this day the moon is especially beautiful. Anyone who is away from home, and could not join relatives, also looks at this time at the moon and think about the family.
The beginning of spring (New Year) and the Mid-Autumn Festival are the most important Chinese national holidays. They symbolize the turning points in terms of weather conditions and the calendar. New Year is celebrated at the very beginning of spring. That is, when the cold winds still blow, but the approach of spring is felt. And the day of mid-autumn falls at a time when nature begins to prepare for winter.
China Day
Public Holiday. The process of celebrating it lasts five days. It is this period for the celebration that the government of the country has allocated. By this day, it is customary to erect huge compositions of fresh flowers on the main streets of the capital. The main square of Beijing - Tiananmen - is decorated with special pomp every year. Here, on October 1, 1949, after the ceremony of raising the national flag, Mao Zedong announced the creation of the People’s Republic of China. The scenario of this celebration is similar to the celebration of workers' day - festivities, concerts and events are held, a grandiose firework is organized in the evening.
Dragon holiday. What is this triumph?
Residents of China consider themselves the descendants of an ancient and wise dragon. Unlike Western mythology, where such a creature is considered to be evil and merciless, in Chinese legends it is a great ancestor. It was he who gave rise to the whole world.
The Chinese Dragon Festival is held at the end of winter. Residents of the country honor their ancestor. The most spectacular is the kite festival. The program includes not only holiday performances, but also competitions. Tourists and guests of the festival are told about the history of the emergence of paper kites, they are invited to participate in workshops on the manufacture of the most incredible flying structures.
Language holiday. Where did it come from?
The founder of Chinese writing is Tsang Jie. He developed a set of characters that became the basis for hieroglyphs. Chinese is considered one of the oldest on the planet. Found artifacts confirm the existence of hieroglyphs in the fourth to fifth century BC.
In honor of the founder of the characters Tsang Jie, a festival of the Chinese language was invented. Its celebrated on April 20th. This holiday was founded by the UN in 2010, when the same days of national languages were established in different countries.
Little conclusion
Now you know the famous Chinese holidays. As you can see, there are not many of them, but they are. For Chinese citizens, each of these holidays is incredibly important. Therefore, locals are carefully preparing for the celebration.