Chinese Holidays and Festivals

The major festivities in China are often celebrated with much pomp and elaboration. For foreigners, it will definitely be a heart-warming experience to witness these celebrations for real. However, traveling around the country may be rather inconvenient during these times, especially around the Spring Festival, which is the biggest and most important annual festivity in China.

Holidays in China are divided into official and traditional holidays. For the more important occasions, the locals get quite a few days off their work, while others are just celebrated for the sake of celebration. Below is a list of holidays celebrated nationwide in China.

Official Holidays

• New Year’s Day (1st of January) – This is a very significant day for people around the world, but the Chinese are probably too busy preparing for their own Lunar New Year to celebrate this occasion too elaborately. Still, it is a public holiday in China.
• International Women's Day (8th of March) – The Chinese show their respect for women by giving them at least a day off work on this day.
• International Labor Day (1st of May) – As a Communist State, China celebrate this day more emphatically than most countries around the world. Therefore, the locals are relieved from work for an entire week.
• Children's Day (1st of June) – While this is not a holiday for the general public, children celebrate this day with fun and games in school. They can also visit amusement centers, parks and other places of interest for free.
• Army's Day (1st of August) – This is the anniversary for the Communist Party's first uprising against the Nationalists. On this day, events are held throughout the country to improve the relationship between the army and the people.
• National Day (1st of October) – The most important day as far as celebrations for the Communist Party go. Employees get a whole week off from work to enjoy the lavish programs on TV and entertainment centers, all prepared by the government to remind the people to be patriotic to the country.

Traditional holidays are anniversaries of cultural and historical events that date back to the times before the establishment of the Communist Party. Compared to modern or official holidays, these occasions are more endearing and meaningful to the local Chinese because they were passed down from the days of ancient China, which involves a history of thousands of years. Therefore, traditional holidays are still dated according to the Chinese lunar calendar.

• Spring Festival or The Chinese New Year (1st of 1st month) – This is the grandest of all holidays in China. Celebrations of tremendous splendor will take place throughout the land, with dragon or lion dances, fire-crackers, bright and festive decorations and new clothes for everybody. The Spring Festival is a time for family reunion as well, and throngs of Chinese working away from home will make their journey back to their hometown. So if you are visiting during this time, it is advisable to stay where you are and enjoy the celebrations there, because traveling can be quite a hassle.
• Lantern Festival (15th of 1st month) – The New Year celebrations last for a total of 15 days and at the end of it, the Lantern Festival or 15th Night is held to bring the festivities to a close. After dinner, the Chinese people will eat Tang Yuan (balls of flour dumplings with stuffing) to symbolize that they are a year older from then on.
• Qing Ming (5th of the 24 Solar Terms) – On this day, members of the family pay respect to dead ancestors by cleaning up their tombs.
• Duan Wu Festival (5th of 5th month) – This occasion is also known as the Dragon Boat Festival. It is the time to remember the plight of Qu Yuan, a poet who drowned himself in the river as a statement of protest against the corrupt government. As he was committing suicide, folks around the area raced to his rescue in boats decorated in the shape of dragons, and they threw rice dumplings into the river to prevent the fish from eating his body. Though all was in vain, the legacy continues to this time and age with the Chinese hosting dragon boat races and eating rice dumplings on this occasion.
• Mid-Autumn or Moon Cake Festival (15th of 8th month) – This occasion is dedicated to the appreciation of the moon, which shines the brightest on this day. Families in China will gather to admire the moon, drinking fine wine and eating moon cakes.