Traditional Chinese holidays: description

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Chinese holidays are divided into national official and traditional. Here, for example, as in many post-Soviet countries, workers' day is celebrated on May 1, and on March 8 - International Women's Day. The traditional ones are celebrated according to the lunar calendar, on certain days. There is in the list of state official and New Year according to European traditions - January 1. In China, this day is a holiday.

There are seven Chinese holidays in the local calendar, when the population of the country has legal days off. For hard-working citizens whose work week lasts sixty hours, and only ten days are given for vacation per year, this is the time for trips to relatives, travel and additional vacations with the family.

Holidays. What are there in this country?

Chinese calendar holidays:

1. Traditional New Year - January 1st.
2. Chinese Spring Festival (according to the lunar calendar, the dates are different every year, between January 21 and February 21).
3. Qingming - Memorial Day, April 4 or 5.
4. Workers' Solidarity Day - May 1st.
5. The beginning of summer is celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.
6. Hairy Dayautumn - 15th day of the 8th lunar month.
7. Foundation Day of the People's Republic of China - October 1.

There are other significant dates in the calendar dedicated to traditions, national heroes of the country, children, language. But these days, the locals do not rest and do not arrange magnificent festivities.

Chinese New Year – Chunjie

Celebration of the New Year in the conventional sense is not given much importance. The most popular, longest and brightest holiday is the Chinese New Year. It is celebrated for two weeks, but there are only 7 official holidays. The working population for the most part lives in large cities of the country and tries to get home to their relatives for this weekend. Chinese New Year holidays are a purely family event. Celebrate the celebration with the family.

The arrival of the new year marks the beginning of spring. Its name - chunjie - is translated from Chinese as a spring festival. This celebration is dedicated to many myths and legends, various superstitions that modern Chinese still adhere to.

According to legend, the new year began with the fact that 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 dwellings. 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 dressed in red clothes.colors. Then they decided: in order to scare away the mythical animal, it is necessary to hang garlands, lanterns and scrolls of all shades of red on the houses and streets. It was also believed that the beast could be frightened by a loud noise. Before the invention of gunpowder, kitchen utensils were used to make noise and drive away an intruder. Later in the country, during the celebration, it became customary to blow up firecrackers, firecrackers and fireworks.

During the Chinese New Year holidays, houses and streets are decorated with red lanterns and garlands. The beginning of the year is celebrated with family feasts, giving each other gifts in red bags with wishes of he alth and well-being.

On the eve of the holiday, according to tradition, it is customary to do a general cleaning in the home, throwing out everything old and unnecessary that has accumulated over the year. With garbage and rubbish, stagnant energy is thrown out of houses, the vacated place will be taken by new and pure qi.

The Chinese do not put up a Christmas tree. It is replaced by tangerines and oranges, laid out on trays in the amount of eight pieces. Eight is the 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.

Massive processions and performances are organized on the streets of cities, fireworks are launched at night.

Yuanxiaojie

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 all over China.

Sky lanterns are a true work of art. By tradition, they are made of paper and a light 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. Lantern festivals are held in large cities of the republic.

Feast of Pure Light - Qingming

These days the Chinese commemorate the dead. The holiday begins on the 15th day after the spring equinox, on the 108th day after the winter solstice. In 2018, this day falls on April 5.

These activities are given two or three days. When Chinese holidays begin, dedicated to the memory of deceased ancestors, local residents go to cemeteries to put things in order near the graves, decorate them with wreaths and flowers, and renew the inscriptions on tombstones. Then they pray. Also, local residents burn incense and bow. The Chinese believe that there is money in the afterlife. One of the rituals involves the burning of banknotes over the grave. To do this, people use fake money, and their copies with a non-existent denomination.

These days in China they not only commemorate the deceased relatives and loved ones, but also celebrate the onset of spring. It is customary for the family to go on a picnic or gather for a festive dinner. By tradition, there should be special Chinese dishes on the table. Depending on the region of the country, they may differ.

Eighth of March. Is it celebrated in China?

Chinese holiday March 8 in the country is not considered a day off. But, as in otherIn 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 a gift should be useful, even if not very expensive. Men give to women:

• flowers;
• sweets;
• fashion clothes;
• cosmetics;
• gift certificates to spas or beauty salons.

For the girls who work here, most employers arrange a short working day on March 8.

May 1 - Workers' Solidarity Day

Workers' Solidarity Day in China originates in 1918. The country's revolutionary-minded intelligentsia distributed leaflets announcing this day. In 1920, the first Labor Day demonstrations were held in China. In 1949, the government declared May 1 an official holiday.

Traditionally, the country rests for 3 days, from May 1 to May 3. In 2018, due to the postponement of the May holidays, they will last from April 29 to May 1.

These days party leaders are performing on the streets, business leaders award the best workers at holiday meetings. People attend concerts with their families, go on short trips out of town.

Start of Summer - Duanwu Dragon Boat Festival

This celebration is also called the Double Five Festival. Because it is celebrated 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 use the weekend fortrips to relatives. Therefore, there is a large influx of passengers on all modes of transport.

The main tradition of the holiday is dragon boat racing. All over the country, competitions are held on such water transport, which in its form resembles dragons. The distance that the boats travel 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 beats the drum. On this day, it is customary to serve cunzi as a treat. These are rice balls with various fillings, wrapped in cane or bamboo sheets, tied with ribbons.

Where does this tradition come from?

It was on this day during the Warring States era that Qu Yuan, a wise minister who served in the royal court, died. Having many ill-wishers, he was repeatedly exiled into exile, where he found his death. According to some sources, he committed suicide out of desperation. According to another version, he was killed and his body thrown into the river by enemies. People, having learned about this, 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 an official who appeared to people said that all the rice was eaten by a river dragon. To scare him away, the grits must be wrapped in bamboo leaves and tied with a ribbon, and you also need to make noise. So rice balls and boat races, accompanied by drumming, became a symbol of this celebration.

Mid-Autumn Festival - Zhongqiujie

One of the most important Chinese holidayssecond only to the New Year in its significance, it marks the middle of the annual cycle. This year it falls on September 24th. On the day dedicated to the celebration, it is customary to treat each other with mooncakes. And what do they represent? Now let's figure it out. Yuebin are variously shaped mooncakes filled with a mixture of nuts, fruits, lotus or bean paste. These products depict hieroglyphs, flowers and ornaments.

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 magical elixir, presented to him by a sorceress for his merits. After that, the latter sent the girl to the moon as punishment. Her husband after death went to the Sun. They are only allowed to meet once a year, on Mid-Autumn Day. For the arrival of her husband, the wife bakes mooncakes.

However, there is a more prosaic explanation for this holiday. For residents in rural areas, this celebration falls at the end of September - the beginning of October. At this time, the harvest has already been harvested. And this is an occasion to get together with the family and celebrate.

People gather with close relatives at the festive table. At the same time, they admire the night light at night. It is believed that on this day the moon is especially beautiful. Those who are away from home, and could not join their relatives, also look at the moon at this time and think about the family.

Beginning of Spring (New Year) and Mid-Autumn Festival are the most important Chinese national holidays. They symbolize turning points in terms of weather conditions and the calendar. The New Year is celebrated at the very beginning of spring. That is, when cold winds are still blowing, but the approach of spring is felt. And Mid-Autumn Day falls at the time when nature begins to prepare for winter.

Foundation Day of the People's Republic of China

Public holiday. The process of its celebration lasts five days. It was this period for the celebration that the government of the country allocated. By this day, it is customary to build huge compositions of fresh flowers on the main streets of the capital. The main square of Beijing - Tiananmen - is decorated with special splendor 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 the workers' day - folk festivals, concerts and events are held, a grandiose fireworks display is arranged in the evening.

Dragon Festival. What is this celebration?

Chinese people consider themselves 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 pay tribute to their ancestor. The most spectacular is the kite festival. Its program includes not only festive performances, but also competitions. Tourists and guests of the festival are told about the history of the emergence of kites, they are offered to participate in master classes oncrafting the most incredible flying structures.

Feast of language. Where did it come from?

The founder of Chinese writing is Cang Jie. He developed a set of signs that became the basis for hieroglyphs. The Chinese language is considered one of the oldest on the planet. Found artifacts confirm the existence of hieroglyphs in the fourth-fifth century BC.

In honor of the founder of hieroglyphs, Cang Jie, a Chinese language holiday was invented. It is celebrated on the twentieth of April. This holiday was founded by the UN in 2010, when the same days of national languages were established in different countries.

Small conclusion

Now you know Chinese holidays. As you can see, there are not many of them, but they are there. For the citizens of China, each of these holidays is incredibly important. Therefore, local residents are carefully preparing for the celebration.