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China > General Information > Events
On the below list of events, a selection of traditional festivals thousands of years old are listed besides newer ones. Although events are generally ordered according to their place in the Western calendar, there may be some deviations from this rule since many festivals follow the lunar Chinese calendar.
Guangzhou Flower Market
This colourful market is held each year during the last three days of
the Chinese year (i.e. three days before Chinese New Year).
Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) occurs according to the old
Chinese calendar which follows the lunar year. It usually is held at
the end of January or the beginning of February. New Year
is the most important of all Chinese festivals and has a very old
tradition. The origins date back to at least the Xia-dynasty (21st to
16th century BC).
It officially lasts for three days, but many people take off the whole week. Preparations to the festival include memorials for the ancestors and displaying new-year pictures and scrolls. Main activities during the New Year celebrations concern frightening away the ghosts with as many firecrackers as possible and visits of relatives and friends. Dragon and lion dances and Yangge dances are performed and there are lantern exhibitions. The traditional food are Jiaozi (Chinese Ravioli) and moon cakes, together with New Year's wine.
During the festival, hotel rooms will get very scarce and expensive.
Lantern Festival
Held two weeks after New Year. Although not a public holiday, it is
celebrated all over China. It marks the end of the New Year's
celebrations. Since the time of the Song dynasty, Yuanxiao (cakes made
of sticky rice with sweet stuffing) are eaten.
Hainan Coconut Festival
Held in the first decade of April on Hainan. This festival was held
the first time in 1992 to promote Hainan's coconuts.
Guanyin's Birthday
Moon based Buddhist festival, late March to late April.
Boat Meeting in Qintong
4 - 6 April, in Yangzhou in Jiangsu province. During the festival,
boats meet on Qinghu lake. People dress in traditional costumes. A
dragon boat race is held as well.
Water-Splashing Festival
Held annually during 13 - 15 April, this Buddhist festival is held in
Jinghong, Xishuangbana, Yunnan. It is the new year celebration of the
Dai minority. According to the legend, a long time ago a fire demon
wanted to force seven Dai girls to be his wives. Being a fire demon,
everything he touched caught fire. So the seven girls extinguished the
fire with water, killing the demon.
Ching Ming
The Tomb Sweeping Day is held in April. Chinese families tend
the graves of their ancestors.
International Labour Day (1 May)
Mazu's Birthday (Moon based Buddhist festival, May or June)
Dragon Boat Festival
Observed primarily in the south-west of China, the Dragon Boat
Festivals are staged usually at the 5th day of the 5th lunar month
(June). Particularly colourful is the one in Hong Kong.
Anniversary of the Communist Party (1 July)
Anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (1 August)
Ghost Month
Buddhist festival held around late August to late September.
Birthday of Confucius
28 September. In Qufu, the birth place of Confucius, there is a large
Confucius festival held from 26 September to 10 October. The great
philosopher and pedagogue was born in 551 BC and has made an impact
that lasts until today.
National Day (1 October)
The People's Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949.
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
Buddhist festival held in October