Explore Chinese festivals, celebrations, holiday traditions, and learn how to discuss festive events in Chinese.
Chinese festivals follow the lunar calendar, which is why their dates vary each year. The four most important traditional festivals are Spring Festival (春节 Chūn Jié), Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节 Zhōng Qiū Jié), Dragon Boat Festival (端午节 Duān Wǔ Jié), and Qingming Festival (清明节 Qīng Míng Jié).
The Spring Festival is the Chinese New Year celebration, marking the beginning of the lunar year. It's a time for family reunions, and many people travel long distances to be with their families. The 15-day celebration ends with the Lantern Festival (元宵节 Yuán Xiāo Jié).
Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates the harvest and the full moon. Families gather to appreciate the moon and eat mooncakes together. The festival has romantic connotations and is associated with the legend of Chang'e (嫦娥), who lives on the moon.
Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the ancient poet Qu Yuan with dragon boat races and eating zongzi (sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves). Qingming Festival is a time to sweep ancestral graves and honor the dead.