The Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year, is a time of great celebration and tradition in China. It’s a time when families come together, old customs are honored, and a new year is welcomed with joy and hope. Alongside the main festival, there are several other traditional Chinese festivals that take place in the spring, each with its own unique customs and significance. Here’s a guide to the English names of these festivals, along with their traditional Chinese names and some details about their celebrations.
1. Lantern Festival (元宵节 - Yuánxiāo Jié)
The Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, marks the end of the Spring Festival. It’s a time for families to gather and enjoy lantern displays, lion and dragon dances, and eat sweet rice balls called “tangyuan.” The festival symbolizes the light overcoming darkness and the end of winter.
English Name: Lantern Festival
- Traditional Chinese Name: 元宵节 (Yuánxiāo Jié)
- Celebrations: Lantern displays, lion and dragon dances, eating tangyuan
2. Pure Brightness Festival (清明節 - Qīngmíng Jié)
The Pure Brightness Festival, held on the fourth day of the fourth lunar month, is a time for honoring ancestors and cleaning tombs. It’s also a time for enjoying spring scenery and eating green foods, such as green vegetables and tea.
English Name: Pure Brightness Festival
- Traditional Chinese Name: 清明节 (Qīngmíng Jié)
- Celebrations: Tomb sweeping, honoring ancestors, eating green foods
3. Dragon Boat Festival (端午節 - Duānwǔ Jié)
The Dragon Boat Festival, celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, commemorates the poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the river to protest corruption. People celebrate by racing dragon boats, eating zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and hanging mugwort and calamus on their doors to ward off evil spirits.
English Name: Dragon Boat Festival
- Traditional Chinese Name: 端午节 (Duānwǔ Jié)
- Celebrations: Dragon boat races, eating zongzi, hanging mugwort and calamus
4. Qixi Festival (七夕節 - Qīxì Jié)
The Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine’s Day, is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. It’s a romantic festival based on a legendary love story between two deities. Young women traditionally participate in needlework contests and pray for a good marriage.
English Name: Qixi Festival
- Traditional Chinese Name: 七夕节 (Qīxì Jié)
- Celebrations: Romantic activities, needlework contests, prayer for a good marriage
5. Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節 - Zhōngqiū Jié)
The Mid-Autumn Festival, held on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, is a time for family reunions and moon gazing. People gather to eat mooncakes, which are round pastries symbolizing completeness and reunion.
English Name: Mid-Autumn Festival
- Traditional Chinese Name: 中秋节 (Zhōngqiū Jié)
- Celebrations: Family reunions, moon gazing, eating mooncakes
6. Lantern Festival (再提一次 - Yuánxiāo Jié)
It’s worth noting that the Lantern Festival is mentioned again because it is such a significant festival in the spring. It’s a time for people to light lanterns, enjoy performances, and wish each other good fortune.
English Name: Lantern Festival
- Traditional Chinese Name: 元宵节 (Yuánxiāo Jié)
- Celebrations: Lighting lanterns, performances, wishing good fortune
These festivals are an integral part of Chinese culture and history, each with its own unique customs and stories. They provide a rich tapestry of traditions that continue to be celebrated and cherished by people around the world.