Spring Dragon Festival (the dragon lifts its head on the second day of the second lunar month) and of course the second day of the second lunar month is the very date of the festival.The folklore says that every second day of the second lunar month is the time when the dragon in charge of the rain lifts its head. From that day on, rainfall will gradually increase, so it is called the ‘Spring Dragon Festival’ or ‘Dragon Head Festival’ On every occasion of the Spring Dragon Festival, families in most of the areas in the northern China will go to wells or rivers to fetch water with their lanterns on, in the morning. Then they will come back home and turn the light, burn joss sticks and offer up sacrifices. This ceremony was called ‘attracting the dragon in the field’ in the old times. On this festival, every family should eat noodles, which means ‘lifting the dragon’s head’; fry cakes, which means ‘eating the dragon’s gallbladder’ (the Chinese believe that this holds the courage); and pop corn so The Double Ninth Festival , observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar, is a traditional Chinese holiday, mentioned in writing since before the East Han period (thus, before AD 25).According to the I Ching, nine is the yang number; the ninth day of the ninth lunar month (or double nine) has too much yang (a traditional Chinese spiritual concept) and is thus a potentially dangerous date. Hence, the day is also called "Double Yang Festival" (重陽節). To protect against the danger, it is customary to climb a high mountain, drink chrysanthemum wine, and wear the zhuyu (茱萸) plant, Cornus officinalis. (Both chrysanthemum and zhuyu are considered to have cleansing qualities and are used on other occasions to air out houses and cure illnesses.) Also on this holiday, some Chinese also visit the graves of their ancestors to pay their respects. Origin It is said that in the ancient China, probably in the Han dynasty, on September 9th, the emperor and his attendants Laba Festival is held on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month on the Chinese calendar. It is a festival that started as a sacrificial offering to ancestors. The Laba Festival was also a time for the ancient Chinese to pray to heaven and earth that there would be a bountiful harvest. Many people hoped for good luck as well for the coming year."La" is the name given to the 12th month and 8 is pronounced as "ba," which translated is "Laba." Aside from being a day to sacrifice to ancestors, Laba has become a day of recognition when Sakyamuni became a Buddha. He is the founder of the Buddhism religion. Origin of the Laba Festival There is a legend of how the Laba Festival began, and it is centered around a hot porridge called Laba rice porridge. Supposedly Laba rice porridge was first concocted in India. Sakyamuni, the son of an Indian king in northern lands, became sorrowful as local people were suffering from sickness. They were under the rule of Before the New Year comes, the people completely clean the indoors and outdoors of their homes as well as their clothes, bedclothes and all their utensils.Then people begin decorating their clean rooms featuring an atmosphere of rejoicing and festivity. All the door panels will be pasted with Spring Festival couplets, highlighting Chinese calligraphy with black characters on red paper. The content varies from house owners' wishes for a bright future to good luck for the New Year. Also, pictures of the god of doors and wealth will be posted on front doors to ward off evil spirits and welcome peace and abundance.The Chinese character "fu" (meaning blessing or happiness) is a must. The character put on paper can be pasted normally or upside down, for in Chinese the "reversed fu" is homophonic with "fu comes", both being pronounced as "fudaole." What's more, two big red lanterns can be raised on both sides of the front door. Red paper-cuttings can be seen on window glass and brightly colored New Year paintings with auspicious meaningsmay be put on the wall.
Winter solstice is a very important solar term in Chinese Lunar calendar. Being a traditional holiday as well, it is still now celebrated quite often in many regions. Early during the Spring and Autumn period, 2500 odd years from now, Winter solsticewas first determined as the Chinese traditional solar term among the total 24 terms. In Gregorian calendar, it is around Dec 22nd or 23rd.Midwinter day is the very day in North hemisphere with the shortest day and longest night year-round. After it, daytime will become increasingly longer and the coldest clime will invade all the places on the Northern part of the globe. We Chinese always call it "JinJiu", which means once Winter solstice comes, we will meet the coldest time ahead. That conclusion is proved well founded. According to scientific results, on Winter solstice, a right angle is formed by the sun and the tropic of carpricorn. Thus, the North hemisphere receives the least sunlight and the shortest day and longest night occur. Ancient china did pay great attention to this holiday, regarding it as a big event. There
Valentine's Day in China, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, falls on August 4 this year.That is on Monday evening, Niu Lang and Zhi Nu will meet on a bridge of magpies across the Milky Way. Chinese grannies will remind children that they would not be able to see any magpies on that evening because all the magpies have left to form a bridge in the heavens with their wings. Romantic legend The legend has been handed down for nearly 2 millennia. The story has been recorded as far back as the Jin Dynasty (256-420 AD). Poets composed hundreds of verses on the love story and many types of Chinese opera tell the story. The Chinese people believe that the star Vega, east of the Milky Way, is Zhi Nu and, at the constellation of Aquila, on the western side of the Milky Way, Niu Lang waits for his wife. Zhi Nu was said to be the youngest of seven daughters of the Queen of Heaven. With her sisters, she worked Qing Ming is a time to remember the dead and the dearly departed. More important, it is a period to honour and to pay respect to one's deceased ancestors and family members. Because it reinforces the ethic of filial piety, Qing Ming is a major Chinese festival. Literally meaning "clear" (Qing) and "bright" (Ming), this Chinese festival falls in early spring, on the 106th day after the winter solstice. It is a "spring" festival, and it is an occasion for the whole family to leave the home and to sweep the graves of their forebears. Chinese being practical people this sweeping of the graves is given an extended period, that is, 10 days before and after Qing Ming day. Among some dialect groups a whole month is allocated.Origin: Qing Ming is popularly associated with Jie Zi Zhui, who lived in Shanxi province in 600 B.C. Legend has it that Jie saved his starving lord's life by serving a piece of his own leg. When the lord succeeded in becoming the ruler of a The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, usually in February orMarch in the Gregorian calendar. As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25).It had become a festival with great significance.This day's important activity is watching lanterns. Throughout the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), Buddhism flourished in China. One emperor heard that Buddhist monks would watch sarira, or remains from the cremation of Buddha's body, and light lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, so he ordered to light lanterns in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to Buddha on this day. Later, the Buddhist rite developed into a grand festival among common people and its influence expanded from the Central Plains to the whole of China.Till today, the lantern festival is still held each year around the country. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung in the streets, attracting countless visitors. Children will hold self-made or bought lanterns to stroll with on The joyous Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon,around the time of the autumn equinox. Many referred to it simply as the “Fifteenth of the Eighth Moon”.This day was also considered as a harvest festival since fruits,vegetables and grain had been harvested by this time and food was abundant. Food offerings were placed on an altar set up in the courtyard. Apples,pears,peaches,grapes,pomegranates,melons,oranges and pomelos might be seen. Special foods for the festival included moon cakes,cooked taro and water caltrope,a type of water chestnut resembling black buffalo horns. Some people insisted that cooked taro be included because at the time of creation,taro was the first food discovered at night in the moonlight. Of all these foods,it could not be omitted from the Mid-Autumn Festival. The round moon cakes,measuring about three inches in diameter and one and a half inches in thickness,resembled Western fruitcakes in taste and consistency. These cakes were made with melon seeds,lotus
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China Holiday
Spring Dragon Festival (the dragon lifts its head on the second day of the second lunar month) and of course the second day of the second lunar month is the very date of the festival.
The Double Ninth Festival , observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar, is a traditional Chinese holiday, mentioned in writing since before the East Han period (thus, before AD 25).
Laba Festival is held on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month on the Chinese calendar. It is a festival that started as a sacrificial offering to ancestors. The Laba Festival was also a time for the ancient Chinese to pray to heaven and earth that there would be a bountiful harvest. Many people hoped for good luck as well for the coming year.
Before the New Year comes, the people completely clean the indoors and outdoors of their homes as well as their clothes, bedclothes and all their utensils.Then people begin decorating their clean rooms featuring an atmosphere of rejoicing and festivity. All the door panels will be pasted with Spring Festival couplets, highlighting Chinese calligraphy with black characters on red paper. The content varies from house owners' wishes for a bright future to good luck for the New Year. Also, pictures of the god of doors and wealth will be posted on front doors to ward off evil spirits and welcome peace and abundance.The Chinese character "fu" (meaning blessing or happiness) is a must. The character put on paper can be pasted normally or upside down, for in Chinese the "reversed fu" is homophonic with "fu comes", both being pronounced as "fudaole." What's more, two big red lanterns can be raised on both sides of the front door. Red paper-cuttings can be seen on window glass and brightly colored New Year paintings with auspicious meaningsmay be put on the wall.
Winter solstice is a very important solar term in Chinese Lunar calendar. Being a traditional holiday as well, it is still now celebrated quite often in many regions. Early during the Spring and Autumn period, 2500 odd years from now, Winter solsticewas first determined as the Chinese traditional solar term among the total 24 terms. In Gregorian calendar, it is around Dec 22nd or 23rd.Midwinter day is the very day in North hemisphere with the shortest day and longest night year-round. After it, daytime will become increasingly longer and the coldest clime will invade all the places on the Northern part of the globe. We Chinese always call it "JinJiu", which means once Winter solstice comes, we will meet the coldest time ahead.
The Dragon Boat Festival, also called the Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar. For thousands of years, the festival has been marked by eating zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped to form a pyramid using bamboo or reed leaves) and racing dragon boats.
Valentine's Day in China, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, falls on August 4 this year.That is on Monday evening, Niu Lang and Zhi Nu will meet on a bridge of magpies across the Milky Way. Chinese grannies will remind children that they would not be able to see any magpies on that evening because all the magpies have left to form a bridge in the heavens with their wings.
Qing Ming is a time to remember the dead and the dearly departed. More important, it is a period to honour and to pay respect to one's deceased ancestors and family members. Because it reinforces the ethic of filial piety, Qing Ming is a major Chinese festival. Literally meaning "clear" (Qing) and "bright" (Ming), this Chinese festival falls in early spring, on the 106th day after the winter solstice. It is a "spring" festival, and it is an occasion for the whole family to leave the home and to sweep the graves of their forebears. Chinese being practical people this sweeping of the graves is given an extended period, that is, 10 days before and after Qing Ming day. Among some dialect groups a whole month is allocated.
The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, usually in February orMarch in the Gregorian calendar. As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25).It had become a festival with great significance.This day's important activity is watching lanterns. Throughout the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), Buddhism flourished in China. One emperor heard that Buddhist monks would watch sarira, or remains from the cremation of Buddha's body, and light lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, so he ordered to light lanterns in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to Buddha on this day. Later, the Buddhist rite developed into a grand festival among common people and its influence expanded from the Central Plains to the whole of China.
The joyous Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon,around the time of the autumn equinox. Many referred to it simply as the “Fifteenth of the Eighth Moon”.