A List of Traditional Chinese Festivals

China has a rich cultural heritage with numerous traditional festivals celebrated throughout the year. Here is a list of some of the most significant traditional Chinese festivals:

1. Spring Festival (Chinese New Year)

   • When: First day of the first lunar month
   • Significance: Marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year; it's the most important festival for family reunions, feasting, and honoring ancestors.

2. Lantern Festival (Yuan Xiao Jie)

   • When: 15th day of the first lunar month
   • Significance: Concludes the Spring Festival celebrations; features lantern displays, lion dances, and eating sweet glutinous rice balls called tangyuan.

3. Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day)

   • When: Around April 4th or 5th
   • Significance: A day for honoring ancestors by cleaning their graves and making offerings; also marks the arrival of spring.

4. Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Festival)

   • When: 5th day of the fifth lunar month
   • Significance: Commemorates the poet Qu Yuan; celebrated with dragon boat races and eating sticky rice dumplings called zongzi.
     

5. Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day)

   • When: 7th day of the seventh lunar month
   • Significance: Based on the romantic legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl; a day for expressing love.

6. Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival)

   • When: 15th day of the eighth lunar month
   • Significance: A time for family gatherings, moon gazing, and eating mooncakes to celebrate harvest and unity.

7. Double Ninth Festival (Chongyang Festival)

   • When: 9th day of the ninth lunar month
   • Significance: A day to pay respect to the elderly and engage in outdoor activities like hiking; also associated with warding off dangers.

8. Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi Festival)

   • When: Around December 21st or 22nd
   • Significance: Marks the shortest day of the year; families gather to enjoy warm foods like dumplings and glutinous rice balls.

9. Laba Festival

   • When: 8th day of the twelfth lunar month
   • Significance: Traditionally a day to pray for harvest and good luck; people eat Laba porridge made from various grains and beans.

10. Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan Festival)

    • When: 15th day of the seventh lunar month
    • Significance: Believed to be when spirits visit the living world; people make offerings to ancestors and deceased loved ones.

11. Hungry Ghost Festival

    • When: Varies by region, often overlaps with Ghost Festival
    • Significance: Similar to the Ghost Festival; includes rituals to appease wandering spirits.

12. Minor New Year (Little New Year)

    • When: 23rd or 24th day of the twelfth lunar month
    • Significance: Marks the start of preparations for the Spring Festival; involves cleaning the house and offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God.

These festivals are integral to Chinese culture, each with its own set of customs, foods, and activities that reflect the values and history of the Chinese people.

Continue browsing the webpage and we will tell you the interesting stories and tradtions behind them.