Festivals
January 1st
New Year's Day
This day is not celebrated as much as it isin other parts of the world because it is overshawdowed by the
Chinese New Year (Lunar Festival).
In year 2000, it starts on 5th of February,which is the 4697th Chinese year.
Chinese believe that the first king of Chinawas King Yellow (he was not the first emperor of China who completed theGreat Wall). King Yellow became a king in 2697 B.C. , therefore year 2000is the 4697th Chinese year.
Spring Festival - Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year is now popularly knownas the Spring Festival because it starts from the Begining of Spring (thefirst of the twenty-four terms in coodination with the changes of Nature).Its origin is too old to be traced. Several explanations are hanging around.All agree, however, that the word Nian, which in modern Chinese solelymeans "year", was originally the name of a monster beast that started toprey on people the night before the beginning of a new year (Do not losetrack here: we are talking about the new year in terms of the Chinese calendar).
One legend goes that the beast Nian had avery big mouth that would swallow a great many people with one bite. Peoplewere very scared. One day, an old man came to their rescue, offering tosubdue Nian. To Nian he said, "I hear say that you are very capable, butcan you swallow the other beasts of prey on earth instead of people whoare by no means of your worthy opponents?" So, swollow it did many of thebeasts of prey on earth that also harrassed people and their domestic animalsfrom time to time.
After that, the old man disappeared ridingthe beast Nian. He turned out to be an immortal god. Now that Nian is goneand other beasts of prey are also scared into forests, people begin toenjoy their peaceful life. Before the old man left, he had told peopleto put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at each year'send to scare away Nian in case it sneaked back again, because red is thecolor the beast feared the most.
From then on, the tradition of observing theconquest of Nian is carried on from generation to generation. The term"Guo Nian", which may mean "Survive the Nian" becomes today "Celebratethe (New) Year" as the word "guo" in Chinese having both the meaning of"pass-over" and "observe". The custom of putting up red paper and firingfire-crackers to scare away Nian should it have a chance to run loose isstill around. However, people today have long forgotten why they are doingall this, except that they feel the color and the sound add to the excitementof the celebration.
The biggest and most celebrated festival inChina and south east Asia. New Year's Eve dinner is the most
important event when the whole family ispresent. Special foods are served and more meat than the usual is
prepared. Fireworks will break the night,scaring the demons and bad luck away. Pictures of the Door Gods will
be posted on the outside door with coupleslimned in bright red. Folk art poster, paper cutting and lucky
wordings on bright red paper will be postedon the wall and windows.
15th of 1st month of Chinese Calender.
Lantern Festival
It marks the end of the Chinese New Year Season,always 15 days after Lunar New Year Day. Lantern exhibits, lion and dragondances, and eating Tang Yuan (ball-shaped boiled sweet rice dumplings withdelicious stuffings) are events today. It is very much celebrated in therural areas by farmers.
The Eve of the New Year is very carefullyobserved. Supper is a feast, with all members coming together. One of themost popular course is jiaozi, dumplings boiled in water. "Jiaozi" in Chineseliterally mean "sleep together and have sons", a long-lost good wish fora family. After dinner, it is time for the whole family to sit up for thenight while having fun playing cards or board games or watching TV programsdedicated to the ocassion. Every light is supposed to be kept on the wholenight. At midnight, the whole sky will be lit up by fireworks and firecrackersmake everywhere seem like a war zone. People's excitement reach its zenith.
Very early the next morning, children greettheir parents and receive their presents in terms of cash wrapped up inred paper packages from them. Then, the family start out to say greetingsfrom door to door, first their relatives and then their neighbors. It isa great time for reconciliation. Old grudges are very easily cast awayduring the greetings. The air is permeated with warmth and friendliness.During and several days following the New Year's day, people are visitingeach other, with a great deal of exchange of gifs. The New Year atmosphereis brought to an anti-climax fifteen days away where the Festival of Lanternssets in. It is an occasion of lantern shows and folk dances everywhere.One typical food is the Tang Yuan, another kind of dumplings made of sweetrice rolled into balls and stuffed with either sweet or spicy fillings.
The Lantern Festival marks the end of theNew Year season and afterwards life becomes daily routines once again.This description is based upon the recollection of my own experience. Customsof observing the New Year vary from place to place, considering that Chinais a big country not only geographically, but also demographically andethnically. Yet, the spirit underlying the diverse celebrations of theChinese New Year is the same: a sincere wish of peace and happiness forthe family members and friends.
March 8
International Women's Day
Women employees will get a whole or an halfpaid day-off on the day.
3rd Month of Chinese Calender
Qing Ming
A day when people visit cemeteries to payrespect to their departed ancestors.
Mid April Chinese Calender
Water Splashing Festival
The most important festival of the year forthe Dai people in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. A festival that
washes away the demons of the old year andwelcomes the joy of the new.
May 1
Labour Day
Employees will enjoy a paid day-off. Celebrationparties in parks took place as parades on the day.
May 4th
Chinese Youth Day
Commemorating the 1919 student demonstrationagainst foreign aggression.
5th of 5th Month of Chinese Calender
Dragon Boat Festival
It is in memory of a great patriot poet ofthe State of Chu during the warring States period (475-221 B.C.), Qu
Yuan who drowned himself to protest his emperorwho gave in to the bully State of Chin. To avoid the fish to
consume his body, people of Chin launchedtheir boats and threw rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves
into the river where he was drowned to feedthe fish. People today still eat the bamboo-leaf rice dumplings
(zong zi). Teams of dragon boats, similarto long canoes, train for weeks for the contests in this day, not onlyin
China, but also in other Asian countrieswith Chinese populations.
15th of 8th month of Chinese Calender
Mid-Autumn Festival (See poem on top of thispage)
This is a festival for people who love toadmire the full moon, while the moon on this day is the fullest and largest
to the eye. The whole family gather together,feasting in good wine, fruits, nuts and cakes.
As in most ethnic holidays, there are legendsto honor. The most popular legend for this holiday is traced to the year2000 B.C. This is the story of Hou Yih, an officer of the imperialguards.
One day, ten suns suddenly appeared in thesky. The emperor, greatly perturbed and fearful that this occurrence presagedsome great evil to his people, ordered Hou Yih, an expert archer, to shootnine of the suns out of the sky. The great skills with which Hou Yi accomplishedthis feat impressed the Goddess of the Western Heaven.
Since Hou Yih was also a talented architect,the Goddess commissioned him to build her a palace made of multicoloredjade. His work so pleased the Goddess that she rewarded him with the possibilityof everlasting life. She gave him the elixir of immortality in the formof a pill. He was not to swallow the pill until he had undergone a yearof prayer and fasting. Hou took the pill home and hid it.
Hou's wife was a divinely beautiful womannamed Chang Oh. One day she discovered the hidden pill and she swallowedit. The resulting punishment was immediate and Chang Oh found herself airborne,bound for eternal banishment on the moon. As she soared upwards, her husband,Hou Yih, desperately tried to follow but was swept back to earth by a typhoon.Chang Oh's divine beauty enhanced the brilliance of the moon with her ownradiance. Now, Chinese people gather each Moon Festival to admire her.
July / August
Nadam Fair
A seven-day Mongolian festival featuring horsebackriding, archery and wrestling.
October 1
National Day
It is the anniversary of the founding of thePeople's Republic of China in 1949. Employees enjoy two paid-day
off. Celebrations usually take the form ofparties in amusement parks by day and fire-works and grand TV
ensembles during the evening.