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Traditional Chinese Festivals 

1. Traditional festivals are important events in the life of every Chinese.

2. Festivals such as Chinese New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Winter Solstice are more or less evenly distributed across the four seasons.

3. In China's traditional agricultural society, festivals served to mark the passing of time.

4. Elements common to all Chinese festivals are expression of a desire for happiness and well-being, the warding off of misfortune, experiencing a oneness between man and heaven, and family reunion.

5. Festivals are also an opportunity for rest and relaxation.  The Chinese are a hardworking people, and they have few occasions to rest in the course of a year.

6. So festivals and celebrations are a welcome opportunity for a change of pace, and   were the "national holidays" of China's traditional agricultural society. 

1. When:

Chinese New Year, the first day of the Chinese lunar year, is the most important of all Chinese festivals.

2. Special name: Ch'un Chieh = Spring Festival

                                         Kuo Nien = Passing into the New Year

                                             Yuan Tan = the first morning

                                             Ch'u Hsi = The day before the Spring Festival

3.     What to do:

The first order of the day on Chinese New Year's Day is to offer ritual homage to one's ancestors with generous food offerings.  The family first pays veneration to its ancestors, then to the gods, and finally the members of the younger generations pay their respects to those of the elder generation.  The family next proceeds to a temple to burn incense in a ritual of worship, and then goes out to bring New Year greetings to their friends and relatives; or they may go to a scenic area for an outing.  Households set off firecrackers and dragon and lion dances are performed everywhere. 

4.     What to eat:

In Chinese, it is usually called             , or " Spring Festival."  It was formerly known under the names           ("passing into the New Year"),             ("the first morning").  The day before the Spring Festival, called           , is a time for all the members of the family to come together to share a sumptuous meal, give out "lucky money" in red envelopes to children, and to stay up through the night to welcome in the new year.

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