Traditional Chinese festivals
As we all know,it is the Spring Festivals now.People from all over the world are celebrating,as the news reported.
The Spring Festival may be the most popular Chinese festival in the world,known as Chinese New Year.The Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the New Year in lunar calendar and ends on the full moon 15days later.New Year鈥檚 Eve and New Year鈥檚 Day are celebrated as family affair,a time of reunion and thanksgiving.In the past,all the family members will get together at the New Year鈥檚 Eve.They have a big dinner.In the north people must eat dumplings,and in the south people usually eat rice cake.The genearchs will sum up the whole year and bless the New Year.In the midnight they will play firecracker and worship the ancestor.On the next days,people pay New Year鈥檚 Calls.They visit relations and bless each other.
The 15th day of the New Year is called the Lantern Festival,which is the first night to see a full moon.The day is also called Yuan Xiao Festival in China because the first lunar month is called 鈥淵uan鈥 month and ancient people called night 鈥淴iao鈥?People celebrate the festival with their families at night,eating rice glue ball (Yuan Xiao).Children will carry lanterns in a parade with beautiful lantern and firework displaying.There may be riddles written on lanterns.People will try to solve the puzzles on the lanterns and enjoy the nice time.
Mid-Autumn Festival is also on the day when there is a full moon.It is the 15th day of the 8th lunar month,so many people simply call the day 鈥淔ifteenth of the Eighth Moon鈥?As this is a season when crops and fruits are all ripe and the weather is pleasant,the festival is also considered as a harvest festival.People must eat moon cakes in the festival.Moon-cakes are made with nuts,Chinese date or sweetened bean paste.Moon-cake is the symbol of reunion since it is often discal.People also tell story about Chang E and Wu Gang to the kids when eating moon-cakes and appreciating the beautiful moon.
Chinese people think a lot of reunion.In many of the Chinese festivals families must get together to celebrate.The Spring Festival,Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival are the most important festivals for reunion.Chinese people think a lot of ancestors,too.Actually,ancestor worship is an important affair during the Spring Festivals.Some Chinese festivals are special for worship and sacrifice.
Qingming Festival is the most important day of sacrifice.It is one of the 24 seasonal division points in China.It is the time for people to sacrifice to their ancestors and sweep the tombs.The Hanshi (Cold Food) Festival was usually one day before the Qingming Festival,but now they were combined.People will not cook on this day and only cold food is served.This custom is to commemorate Jie Zitui,who is a personage during the Warring States Period.On each Qingming Festival,all cemeteries are crowded with people who came to sweep tombs and offer sacrifices.Qingming Festival sees a combination of sadness and happiness.Besides sacrifice,the Qingming Festival is also a time for spring outings because it is a time when the sun shines brightly and nature is lively.
Another important festival is the Dragon Boat Festival,also called the Duanwu Festival.It is celebrated on fifth day of the fifth month according to the lunar calendar.The festival is best known for dragon-boat races,especially in the southern provinces where there are many rivers and lakes.This commemorates the death of Qu Yuan,who is also an honest minister living during the Warring States Period.The festival has been marked by eating Zong Zi,which also commemorates the death of Qu Yuan.But now,Duanwu Festival is a little entertaining.It is not as serious as Qingming Festival.Some of the Chinese people do not think deeply of the festival,but North Korea has declared the Duanwu Festival of Non-material Heritage of the World.This is embarrassing.
Chong Yang Festival is also a day of honor.It is on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month.In traditional Chinese world view,the number nine is regarded as yung,representing life and brightness or masculine or positive.鈥淐hong鈥 means double.Chinese ancestors considered Double Ninth Festival an auspicious day worth celebration.On this day,people usually climb mountains,appreciate chrysanthemum flowers and drink chrysanthemum wine.The festival is also a time for family get-togethers.It is an occasion to remember one鈥檚 ancestors.The festival is a special day to respect the older.Old people are especially meant to improve their health by taking part in the activities on the day of the festival.So the Double Ninth Festival is also the 鈥淥ld Men Festival鈥?
Opposite to the 鈥測(cè)ang鈥 festival,there is a 鈥測(cè)in鈥 festival.Much like Halloween,China celebrates a Fall Festival:ZhongYuan Festival,or Ghost Festival.The festival takes place during the 7th lunar month.Unlike other celebrations of the dead in Eastern cultures that seek to honor dead ancestors,the Ghost Festival seek to pacify the hungry ghosts who have been forced to dwell in hell without food.ZhongYuan Festival used to be a very important festival in the past,but it is nearly forgotten now.
Not all the Chinese festivals are seriously.Qi Xi Festival,or known as Chinese Valentine鈥檚 Day,is full of happiness.Behind the festival,here is a story about a Weaving Girl called Zhinu fell in love with a young farmer called Niulang In the night of the festival,kids appreciate the star and listen to their grandmother telling stories.The festival is also for girls and young lady to supplicate for ingenious.
As China is more international,the Western festivals are more and more popular.But some of the traditional Chinese festivals have changed a lot,or even nearly been forgotten.I think more people should concern with tradition Chinese festivals,because it carries a lot of cultural connotations.