Chinese Festivals

Also known as the Duanwu Festival or Double Fifth Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most internationally well-known traditional festivals of China and is celebrated throughout the country on the fifth day of the fifth month (usually around June) of the Chinese lunar calendar. The festival is believed to have originated in ancient China initially to exorcise evil spirits and diseases during the summer. From ancient to modern times, countless literary works including poems, songs, proses, and verses have been created about this legendary annual event. In 2009, the Dragon Boat Festival was listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage expression by UNESCO.Read More

Labor Day, also named International Workers’ Day, has been celebrated on May 1st every year worldwide since 1890. In China, workers usually receive a holiday extension of 3 days by swapping the weekdays next to the actual holiday. The holiday from May 1st till May 3rd is also referred to as May Day.Read More

The Lantern Festival, also called Yuanxiao Festival or Shangyuan Festival, falls on the 15th day of the 1st month on the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. It is an important traditional national festival and also the first night of the year to see the full moon. It is believed to be during this time that spring returns, for which people hold celebrations.Read More

The Lusheng Festival is one of the most important festivals for the Miao people and is held every year on the 27th day of the 9th month according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. Technically, several Lusheng Festivals are held in Miao communities each with varied lengths and scale though it usually lasts for about 3 days. The celebrations in Kaili and Huangping of the Guizhou Province are regarded as the grandest and most spectacular.Read More

The National Day is celebrated every year on October 1 based on the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The holiday usually lasts for 7 days from October 1st till 7th and is cele...Read More

The Qingming Festival, also called Tomb Sweeping Day or Pure Brightness Day, falls on April 5 every year. It is one of the most important and significant traditional festivals, and one of the 24 Chinese solar terms. During the Qingming Festival, family members visit and clean the gravesites of their ancestors and departed ones, and also go outdoors to enjoy the approaching spring weather.Read More

The Sisters’ Rice Festival, also called the Sisters’ Meal Festival, is celebrated every year on the 15th day of the 3rd month of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. The festival lasts ...Read More

Tibetan New Year, also known as the Losar Festival, is the most important holiday in Tibet. It is celebrated on the first day of the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar, around March, for 15 day...Read More

Miao New Year, or Miao Nian, is the most important traditional festival for the Miao ethnic people. According to traditional Miao custom, the tenth month (around November) of the Miao calendar marks t...Read More

The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Zhongqiu Festival, is one of the four major traditional festivals of China, together with the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar when the moon is considered to be at its fullest and brightest. Because moon cakes are consumed during the festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also commonly called the Moon Cake Festival.Read More