Wednesday 17^th October 2018

Chong Yang Festival (Zhòngyángjié 重阳节)

On the 9th day of the 9th month people used to take to high ground and fly all sorts of kites as a way of appeasing the spirits. It follows the traditional story of Huan Jing ➚ of the Han dynasty, who was told to move to high ground to escape disaster. In Chinese numerology 9 is a strong yang number and is generally inauspicious; so this day had to be treated with respect. Food was laid out to calm the spirits of the ancestors. As chrysanthemums are usually in flower, chrysanthemum wine is often drunk and petals collected to flavor the next year's batch. Because nine 九 jiǔ sounds like forever 久 jiǔ it has now become associated with elderly people and since 1989 has also been celebrated as ‘Seniors Day’.

Dates : Sat Oct 28 2017  Wed Oct 17 2018  Mon Oct 7 2019  

Sunday 13^th January 2019

Laba Festival (Làbā jié 腊八节)

Laba congee ➚ is traditionally eaten on the Laba festival. It is held on the 8th day of the twelfth lunar month and is associated with the Buddhist festival marking the Buddha's enlightenment. The festival is observed mostly in northern China and not much in the south. It is not a public holiday.

Dates : Wed Jan 24 2018  Sun Jan 13 2019  Thu Jan 2 2020  

Tuesday 5^th February 2019

Chinese New Year - Spring Festival (Chūnjié 春节)

New Year is the main annual festival in China determined by the old Chinese calendar. It falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, so it is falls towards the end of January or early February. For at least 2,000 years it has been a time for all families to get together, often traveling huge distances. Brightly colored papers and paper cut designs are displayed everywhere often carrying the character ‘fu’ for good fortune. The traditional lion dance is often seen in public festivities. The festival lasts a whole week of public holiday (Feb 15th to Feb 21st in 2018) and during this time everyone tries to be on their best behavior to set the tone for the whole year.

Buying supplies for the Chinese New Year Festival, Shenzhen Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

There are large firework displays in the cities. The ancestors are given due reverence at the festival. When guests arrive they should bring along food or a gift; these can take the form of packets of 'lucky paper money' in red envelopes. Fish and Jiaozi (dumplings) are often eaten, the character for fish yu 鱼 sounds the same as the character yu 余 meaning 'surplus; abundance' so a dish of fish has a lucky connotation. The entrance to a house is decorated with two couplets written in calligraphy on red paper on either side of the entrance. Traditional fairs are held outside temples selling all sorts of small gifts and decorations during the holiday.

Dates : Fri Feb 16 2018  Tue Feb 5 2019  Sat Jan 25 2020  

Tuesday 19^th February 2019

Lantern Festival (Yuánxiāojié 元宵节)

The Lantern festival is on the first full moon after the New Year and marks the very end of the Spring Festival. Lanterns are lit and in places very long paper dragons parade the streets. The lanterns lit the way for the ancestral spirits to go home to their tombs after joining the family for the festivities. Great creativity was used in lantern design, which can include moving parts; some towns had riddles painted on them to entertain the people. Tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) are eaten and fir branches placed above doors. The traditional lion dance was originally tied to just this festival but now are seen more generally throughout the year. In the countryside diseases were removed by making a procession out of the village, with many firecrackers scaring away and taking the illness with it. Children, often in scary masks, used to put on little stage shows and pantomimes.

Celebrating Lantern Festival, Liuzhou, Guangxi Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

Dates : Fri Mar 2 2018  Tue Feb 19 2019  Sat Feb 8 2020  

Friday 8^th March 2019

Blue Dragon Festival (Lóng tái tóu 龙抬头)

The double second (2nd day of 2nd lunar month) marks the first tentative signs of Spring. The name ‘Blue Dragon’ reflects the tradition of waking the dragons that control the rains, Longtaitou literally means ‘dragon raise head’. It usually occurs around the time of 惊蛰 Jīngzhí in the lichuan calendar which marks the stirring of insects; originally fumigation was carried out to kill off the emerging insects. The festival is now celebrated by cleaning the house, having a haircut, eating popcorn, pancakes and noodles. Zhonghe Festival (中和节) is another ancient festival traditionally held on the day before (1st of the 2nd lunar month) so nowadays the two are celebrated together. It is not a public holiday.

Monday 18^th March 2019

Flower Festival (Huā zhāo jié 花朝节)

The traditional Flower Festival is held on the twelfth day of the second lunar month. The great Tang Empress Wu Zetian is associated with this minor festival when the birthday of the Flower God is celebrated. It roughly marks the time of the emergence of the first flowers of Spring. It is also a good day to plant up the garden ready for summer.

Monday 25^th March 2019

Birthday of Guanyin (Guàn yīn dàn 观音诞)

Statue of Guanyin (Guanshiyin or Avalokitesvara), Goddess of Mercy, Sanya, Hainan

The most revered of Buddhist Bodhisattvas is Guanyin ➚, the Goddess of Mercy who intercedes on behalf of any who pray to her. Her birthday is traditionally marked by a minor festival on the 19th of the second lunar month. One of the holiest places sacred to her is on Putuo Island, Zhejiang where there is a tall statue looking out East over the ocean.

Sunday 7^th April 2019

Shangsi Festival (Shàngsìjié 上巳节)

Celebrated on the 3rd day of the 3rd Lunar month, Shangsi was traditionally a day for cleaning the house and going away on an outing. It is not an official holiday in China. The festival marks the birthday of the Queen Mother of the West ➚ (Xi Wangmu), a leading Daoist deity and is also known as the Banquet of Peaches of Immortality. The day is associated with many folk beliefs to do with the opening of portals between the living and the dead. The founding Yellow Emperor is also believed to have had his birthday on this day. Sticky rice cakes called baba 粑粑 are sometimes eaten.

Dates : Wed Apr 18 2018  Sun Apr 7 2019  Thu Mar 26 2020  

Friday 19^th April 2019

Birthday of the God of Wealth (Zhào gōngmíng 赵公明)

Chinese Lunar New Year money god poster in Hong Kong. Image by Mk2010 ➚ available under a Creative Commons license ➚

If you want to become more prosperous then making the appropriate offerings to the God of Wealth (Zhao Gongming) or God of Money (Cai Shen) on his birthday could do the trick. This birthday is marked on the 15th day of the third lunar month of the traditional calendar. He is often depicted with an iron club and riding a black tiger. There are various conflicting legends concerning his life which dates back before the Qin dynasty. It is a minor festival and not a public holiday.

Friday 7^th June 2019

Dragon Boat Festival (Duānwǔjié 端午节)

A dragon boat race at Foshan, Guangdong. 2011 Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

The highpoint of the sun's journey at the Summer Solstice in the year marks the start of the warmest part of the year, but also the reduction in day length. This became the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth month which often falls near the summer solstice. As well as procuring rain from the water controlling dragons for the summer crops, it commemorates the life of Qu Yuan (340-278 BCE), an incorruptible public official who drowned himself in defiance of unjust rule. Many boats went out in search for his body and from this legend dragon boat races take place throughout the world. Triangular rice cake 粽子 zòng zi and garlic 蒜 suàn are particular associated with this festival, some are fed to the fish on the basis that they would then leave Qu Yuan's body alone. Two teams of 15-30 people race each other in boats with a decorated dragon prow. It is only recently (2008) that this has become an official public holiday again. Hong Kong is well known for the large number of races that take place each year. The fifth month is generally regarded as the most unlucky month and charms were used to keep the bad influence at bay, for example with pictures of Zhong Kui or putting iris flowers over the door. Traditionally Realgar wine (containing Arsenic sulfide) was drunk to kill off internal parasites and infections.

Dates : Mon Jun 18 2018  Fri Jun 7 2019  Wed May 27 2020  

Saturday 15^th June 2019

Rain Festival (Yǔ jié 雨节)

Rain is essential for crops and another minor festival, the Rain Festival, like the Dragon Boat festival, is associated with rain on the 13th of the fifth month. Ceremonies used to seek just the quantity of rain, not too little and not too much. Like St. Swithin's day ➚, the absence of rain on this day may presage a drought. There are many gods of rain and legends about them. As rain is associated with dragons they feature prominently in such tales including the Jinlong Si Dawang (Golden Dragon King). It is not a public holiday.

Wednesday 3^rd July 2019

Half Year Festival (Bàn nián jié 半年节)

Half way through the lunar calendar year is on the 1st day of the 6th month, and it is a time to reflect on the year so far. Mainly celebrated in southern China, the Half Year Festival is in places treated as an echo of the New Year Festival, with fire crackers, zong zi (glutinous rice) and family get-togethers. According to legend in Jiashanwu Village near Hangzhou a long drought was ended by the efforts of a mysterious old man. It is a minor festival and not a public holiday.

Monday 8^th July 2019

Clothes Drying Day (Shài yī jié 晒衣节)

As the sun’s heat reaches its full power this minor festival is set aside to lay out anything that needs drying in the sun. Clothes; bedding; papers; grain are some of the things that can benefit from a thorough airing and drying in the sun. Clothes Drying Day takes place on the sixth day of sixth month. The legend is that the Dragon King, ruler of water, spent this day drying its scales. Another tale is that it was the day when the Buddhist scriptures that were being carried into China in the 'Journey to the West' were laid out to dry; and so temples used to bring out the Classic scriptures for a good airing. It is a minor festival and not a public holiday.

Thursday 1^st August 2019

Ghost Gate Opens (Guǐ mén kāi 鬼门开)

The seventh month of the traditional Chinese calendar is associated with ghosts. The Hungry Ghost festival in the middle of the seventh month is the main festival but some people also mark the start of the month - Ghost Gate. The ghost month is considered unlucky, spirits wander around for the whole month and so new projects and enterprises should not be started. One superstition of relevance is to avoid sticking chopsticks vertically into rice as this invites in the ghosts. It is a minor festival and not a public holiday.

Wednesday 7^th August 2019

Chinese Valentine’s Day (Qīxìjié 七夕节)

This festival has its origins as a festival for women, honoring Niulang, a weaver, who was separated by the gods from her husband, a cowherd. She spent this one dry night with her husband by following a bridge made by magpies. The husband and wife are the stars Vega ➚ and Altair ➚ and the bridge is the Milky Way. It is held on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month and nowadays it is marked by exchanging gifts between sweethearts. On the preceding day people used to look to the future with various customs that foretold their future. A number of traditional games tested the dexterity of girls in deference to Niulang - the skilled weaver. It was also said to be the day when the Queen Mother of West visited the Emperor. In some regions it is also associated with lanterns and guiding spirits as it falls within the Ghost month. Nowadays is more like the western Valentine's Day - couples give each other presents to show their enduring affection.

Dates : Fri Aug 17 2018  Wed Aug 7 2019  Tue Aug 25 2020  

Thursday 15^th August 2019

Hungry Ghost (Yúlánpén 盂兰盆)

This festival is held on the 15th day (full moon) of the 7th lunar (ghost) month. It is also known as the Mid-year festival (中元节 zhōng yuán jié). Traditionally the sufferings of ancestors are appeased by making offerings of food or incense at the ancestral shrine. Prayers are said for spirits who have no families to venerate them. Paper flags are hung over doorways to keep out the hungry ghosts.

Dates : Sat Aug 25 2018  Thu Aug 15 2019  Wed Sep 2 2020  

Friday 23^rd August 2019

Birthday of Zhuge Liang (Zhū gě wǔ hóu dàn chén 诸葛武侯诞辰)

During the Three Kingdoms period Zhuge Liang ➚, the loyal and capable chancellor of the Shu Han kingdom stands out as an example of a virtuous life. His birthday is marked on the 23rd of 7th lunar month in the traditional calendar. He was nick-named ‘crouching dragon’ for his adept military strategies. To mark this day Chinese sky lanterns ➚, traditionally said to have been invented by Zhuge Liang, are lit and allowed to drift into the sky. It is a minor festival and not a public holiday.

Friday 13^th September 2019

Mid Autumn Festival (Zhōngqiūjié 中秋节)

Teacup media audio podcast by Laszlo Montgomery.
Mid-Autumn Festival
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The Autumn Moon Festival takes place at full moon in the 8th lunar month (15th day), it marks the end of harvest. Lanterns are lit and moon cakes are cooked and consumed in large numbers. It celebrates Chang'e the goddess of the moon and particular the romance with the archer god Houyi. Traditionally, spirits of the dead came forth to feast on the fruits of summer harvest. People would climb hills and mountains to watch the rising of the full moon with the greeting 看月亮 Kàn yuè liang ‘Look at the bright moon’!

Moon cake for the Mid Autumn (Moon) Festival

Dates : Mon Sep 24 2018  Fri Sep 13 2019  Thu Oct 1 2020  

Monday 7^th October 2019

Chong Yang Festival (Zhòngyángjié 重阳节)

On the 9th day of the 9th month people used to take to high ground and fly all sorts of kites as a way of appeasing the spirits. It follows the traditional story of Huan Jing ➚ of the Han dynasty, who was told to move to high ground to escape disaster. In Chinese numerology 9 is a strong yang number and is generally inauspicious; so this day had to be treated with respect. Food was laid out to calm the spirits of the ancestors. As chrysanthemums are usually in flower, chrysanthemum wine is often drunk and petals collected to flavor the next year's batch. Because nine 九 jiǔ sounds like forever 久 jiǔ it has now become associated with elderly people and since 1989 has also been celebrated as ‘Seniors Day’.

Dates : Wed Oct 17 2018  Mon Oct 7 2019  Sun Oct 25 2020