When Dragons Dance: A Guide To Chinese Festival

China is the land of many wonders. Chinese food is extremely popular in many parts of the globe. Though not much famed or spread as the culinary delights from the country, yet every Chinese festival has a uniqueness of its own. The ever expanding Diaspora of the country nevertheless ensures that every Chinese festival is celebrated outside as with same pomp and splendor as it is in China.

Chinese people celebrate many famed festivals; some of them date back to centuries-old traditions. People in the Chinese villages celebrate most of the festivals in the traditional fashion, with the food, festivities, and rituals as were practiced by their ancestors.

The following is an overview of the eight key Chinese festivals, starting from the Chinese New Year Festival to the year-end Winter Festival.

Chinese New Year

This is perhaps the most important and the longest Chinese festival. It is also called the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival. The celebrations start on the first day of Chinese calendar (which usually falls on either at the end of January or during February). The celebrations go up to the 15th day of the first month and culminate with the colorful Lantern Festival.

People generally buy new cloths, presents, and food and decorate their houses. Families gather together and exchange gifts, and an atmosphere of love and mirth prevail all over. The celebrations include sumptuous feast, with no vegetarian dishes, such as pork, duck flesh, and chicken items. People also make a number of types of sweets and delicacies.

Lantern Festival

This is a three-day festival that marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. It falls on the 15th day of the first month in Chinese calendar. People burst firecrackers during the night and light lamps. Lanterns indicate good fortune. The streets are filled by the cheerful presence of children who carry lanterns of all sizes and shapes.

Qingming Festival

“Quingming” means pure brightness. This Chinese festival falls on the first week of April. This is celebrated to commemorate the memory of the dead. Hence, it is also known as the remembrance of ancestors’ day. People clean the tombs of their ancestors and pray for the departed souls.

Dragon Boat Festival

It usually falls in June and is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese year. This festival commemorates the death of one of the famous patriots, Wut Yuan. The main events are dragon boat races, where people throng to see the colorful and spectacular dragon boats. It is an occasion for picnics and festivities too.

Double Seventh Festival

This is China’s equivalent of Valentine’s Day. It is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of Chinese year (usually in August). There is a memorable love story (that depicts the romance between an orphaned shepherd and a beautiful angel) associated with this festival.

Mid-Autumn Festival

This Chinese festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is the most important harvest festival of the country. It falls on the 15th day of eighth month of the Chinese year. Moon cakes are the specialty food items during this festival. People carry lanterns under the moonlight as well.

Double Ninth Festival

It falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of Chinese calendar (usually in October). The main custom of the festival is climbing a height – a mountain or a tower, for example. It is believed that the atmosphere during this festival is full of positive masculine energy. It is the season when chrysanthemums bloom, which provides a lovely ambience for the festivities. It is also an occasion for showing the respect to the elders.

Winter Solstice Festival

This is the last festival of the year. It falls on December 21 or 22, the shortest day and the longest night in the northern hemisphere. It is also called the Winter Festival. People visit their friends and relatives and exchange gifts. The main food items associated with this Chinese festival are cakes and dumplings made of rice and meat.