List of observances set by the Chinese calendar
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates The traditional Chinese holidays are an essential part of harvests or prayer offerings. The most important Chinese holiday is the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), which is also celebrated in overseas ethnic Chinese communities (for example in Malaysia, Thailand, or the USA).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Traditional holidays are varied from region to region but most are scheduled according to the Chinese calendar; exceptions, like the Qingming and winter solstice days, fall on the respective jieqi (solar terms) in the agricultural calendar.
Four Traditional Festivals
China's four recognized festivals are the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Qingming Festival.
List
| Chinese lunar date | Gregorian date | English name | Chinese name | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Day | |||||
| lang}}) | 1st | Template:Calendar date | Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Template:*{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:*{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:*{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} |
Set off fireworks after midnight; visit family members | |
| lang}}) | 7th | Template:Calendar date | Renri | lang}} | ||
| lang}}) | 15th | Template:Calendar date | Lantern Festival | Template:*{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} | Lantern parade and lion dance celebrating the first full moon. Eating tangyuan. This day is also the last day of new year celebration. This is Tourism Day in Taiwan | |
| lang}}) | 2nd | Template:Calendar date | Zhonghe Festival (Blue Dragon Festival) | Template:*{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:*{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} |
lang}}) and noodles, clean the house. Also known as Dragon Raising its Head This is Earth God's Birthday in Taiwan | |
| 3 ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) | 3rd | Template:Calendar date | Shangsi Festival | lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} | lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (fùnǚjié) or Double Third Festival. | |
| Sam Nyied Sam | lang}} | Celebrated by the Zhuang people, an ethnic minority. | ||||
| At the Qingming solar term, solar longitude of 15°, 104th day after Dongzhi (winter solstice) | April 4, 2025 | Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Festival, Tomb Sweeping Day, Clear and Bright Festival) | lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} | Visit, clean, and make offerings at ancestral gravesites, spring outing | ||
| 105th day after Dongzhi | April 5, 2025 | Cold Food Festival | ||||
| lang}}) | 15th | Template:Calendar date<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
God of Medicine's Birthday | lang}} | Public holiday in Taiwan |
| lang}}) | 23rd | Template:Calendar date<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Matsu's Birthday (Tin Hau Festival) | lang}} | Public holiday in Taiwan |
| lang}}) | 8th | Template:Calendar date | Buddha's Birthday | lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} | Visit Buddhist temple, offer food to the monks | |
| lang}}) | 8th | Template:Calendar date | Cheung Chau Bun Festival | lang}}/{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} | ||
| lang}}) | 5th | Template:Calendar date | Duanwu Festival (Dragon Boat Festival) | lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} | Dragon boat race, eat sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves Zongzi (粽子). This festival commemorates the ancient poet Qu Yuan; drink yellow rice wine, related to the White Snake Lady legend | |
| lang}}) | 13th | Template:Calendar date<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Kuan Kung's Birthday and Cheng Huang's Birthday | lang}} | Celebrated in Taiwan |
| lang}}) | 6th | Template:Calendar date | Double Sixth Festival | lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} | ||
| lang}}) | 24th or 25th | Template:Calendar date | Torch Festival | lang}} | ||
| lang}}) | 7th | Template:Calendar date | Qixi Festival (The Night of Sevens, Magpie Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day) | lang}} | According to legend, the goddess "Zhi Nü" (the star Vega) fell in love with the farmer boy "Niu Lang" (the star Altair), but was disapproved by her mother goddess. As punishment, they were separated by the Milky Way and could only meet once a year on this night. | |
| lang}}) | 15th night (14th in parts of southern China) | Template:Calendar date | Ghost Festival | lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} | Burn fake paper money and make offerings to ancestors and the dead to comfort them in the afterlife and keep them from troubling the living. | |
| lang}}) | 15th | Template:Calendar date | Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival) | lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} | Eat mooncake, family union meal, related to the legend of Chang E, the Jade Rabbit and The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, also called "Chinese Thanksgiving". | |
| lang}}) | 16th | Template:Calendar date<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Monkey King Festival | lang}} | |
| lang}}) | 26th | Template:Calendar date | Food Extermination Day | lang}} | Commemorate when Nurhaci's troops ran out of food, Northeast China specific | |
| Eve of the 9th month (九月); goes on for nine days | Template:Calendar date | Nine Emperor Gods Festival | ||||
| lang}}) | 9th | Template:Calendar date | Double Ninth Festival (Chongyang Festival) | lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} | Autumn outing and mountain climbing, some Chinese also visit the graves of their ancestors to pay their respects. | |
| lang}}) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Winter Clothes Festival | lang}} | ||
| lang}}) | 15th | Template:Calendar date<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Saisiat Festival | 賽夏節 | Pas-taai Festival of the Saisiat tribe in Taiwan |
| At the Dongzhi solar term, solar longitude of 270°, the day of winter solstice | Template:Calendar date | Dongzhi Festival (Winter Solstice Festival) | lang}} | Have Tangyuan and Jiuniang and perform ancestor worship, Feast day, family gatherings, also named "Chinese Thanksgiving" | ||
| lang}}) | 8th | Template:Calendar date | Laba Festival | lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} | This is the day the Buddha attained enlightenment. People usually eat Laba congee, which is made of mixed grains and fruits. Beginning of the preparation for Chinese new year. | |
| lang}}) | 23rd/24th | Template:Unbulleted list | Little New Year | lang}} | Honoring of Kitchen God | |
| Last day of lunar year | Template:Calendar date | Chinese New Year's Eve | Template:*{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:*{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} |
|||
Public holidays
Traditional holidays are generally celebrated in Chinese-speaking regions. For the most part however, only Chinese New Year, Qingming Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival are statutory public holidays. This is the case in both mainland China and Taiwan whilst Hong Kong and Macau also observe Buddha's Birthday and Chung Yeung Festival. In Singapore, Chinese New Year is the only traditional Chinese public holiday, likewise with Malaysia.
Each region has its own holidays on top of this condensed traditional Chinese set. Mainland China and Taiwan observe patriotic holidays, Hong Kong and Macau observe Christian holidays, and Malaysia and Singapore celebrate Malay and Indian festivals.
- Public holidays in the People's Republic of China
- Public holidays in the Republic of China
- Holidays in Taiwan (including unofficial holidays)
- Holidays in Singapore
- Holidays in Malaysia
- List of festivals in China
See also
- Jingchu Suishiji, an important text on the transition from ancient Chinese festivals to the present traditional ones
- Air pollution in China | Air pollution in Hong Kong | Air pollution in Macau | Air pollution in Taiwan | Air pollution in Singapore
- Culture of China
- List of annual events in China
- Joss paper
References
External links
- Traditional Chinese festivals on china.org.cn
Template:PRC Holidays Template:Chinese mythology Template:Calendars Template:Portal bar