Author Topic: Chinese holidays  (Read 4701 times)

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Offline Hajo

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Chinese holidays
« on: May 03, 2009, 01:23:56 pm »
I found this info somewhere on the Internet. I thought it might be interesting for some of us. It has both traditional and offical holidays.

[size=15]Official Chinese Holidays[/size]

New Year's Day (January 1)
Not as much celebrated as it is in other parts of the world because it is overshadowed by the upcoming Chinese New Year somewhere a month away. However, employees will enjoy a paid day-off. And there will be parties everywhere, in parks, dancing halls and universities where students will leave for the winter vacation.

International Women's Day (March 8)
Interestingly, women employees will get a whole or an half paid day-off on the day while the men are at the mercy of their employers.

Tree-Planting Day (April 1)
Highly promoted since the late 70's by the reformist government and yet to become established. It marks the beginning of a greening campaign all over the country during the month each year.

International Labor Day (May 1)
No less celebrated than the New Year's Day. Employees will enjoy a paid day-off. Celebration parties in parks took the place of parades today.

Youth Day (May 4)
A day in memory of the first mass student movement in 1919, a movement touched off by the then Chinese government that gave in to the Japanese government's attempt to colonize Shandong Province. It is also an anti-Confucius movement as well as one that promoted the western scientific and democratic ideas. Government organized youth activities everywhere in the country today characterizes the celebration of this day.

Children's Day (June 1)
It is the most memorable day of Chinese kids all over the country. Almost all entertainment places such as cinemas, parks and children museums and palaces are open free to them. Elementary schools throw celebration parties while parents shower them with presents.

The CCP's Birthday (July 1)
It marked the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 in Shanghai. It is usually characterized by front page editorials from major government newspapers.

Army's Day (August 1)
A communist-led nationalist army staged the first armed uprising in Chinese communist history against the Nationalists on August 1, 1927. It was regarded as the beginning of the Red Army (later the People's Liberation Army). Now the anniversary is often used to promote better relationships between the army and civilians, a tradition believed to have helped it beat the Nationalists during the civil war in 1949.

Teacher's Day (September 1)
It was started in the early eighties as an effort to reverse the anti-intellectual sentiment nurtured by the "Cultural Revolution". It is yet to become an established holiday.


National Day (October 1)

It is the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 in the wake of routing the Nationalists who have since taken refuge in Taiwan. There used to be grand parades squares of major cities of the country. Now celebrations usually take the form of parties in amusement parks by day and fire-works and grand TV ensembles during the evening. Employees enjoy two paid days-off. It is also a good occasion for many people to take a short excursion to enjoy the beauty of the golden Fall.

[size=15]
Chinese Traditional Holidays[/size]
The calendar the Chinese traditional holidays follow is of a unique lunar-solar system. Therefore, 1st of the 1st month referred here does not necessarily mean January 1.

Lantern Festival (15th of the 1st month)
Lantern exhibits, lion and dragon dances, and eating Tang Yuan (ball-shaped boiled sweet rice dumplings with delicious stuffing.) feature this day. It is very much celebrated in the rural areas by farmers. The Lantern Festival also marks the end of the Chinese New Year season.

Qing Ming (Pure & Bright in Chinese) (Fifth of the 24 Solar Terms)
Originally it was a celebration of spring. People used to customarily go out on an excursion to "tread grass". Later it became day dedicated to the dear departed. Tidying up ancestors' tombs is its major big event.

Duan Wu (Dragon Boat) Festival (5th of the 5th month)
Said to be in memory of a great patriot poet of the then State of Chu during the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), Qu Yuan (Ch'u Yuan), who drowned himself to protest his emperor who gave in to the bully State of Chin. For fear that fish may consume his body, people of Chu threw launched their boats and started throwing rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river where he was drowned to feed the fish. Now the big event of dragon boat contest may be a legacy of such activity. People today still eat the bamboo-leave rice dumplings on the occasion today.

The Seventh Eve (7th of the seventh month)
It is a traditional holiday almost lost to the younger generations today. It originates from a beautiful legend about a cowboy and a fairy who were cruelly separated and reunited once each year on this happy sad occasion. A more detailed story is forthcoming.

Mid-Autumn Festival (15th of the eighth month)
It is second only to the Chinese New Year in significance. The moon on this day is the fullest and largest to the eye. Viewing it by the whole family while feasting on good wine, fruits and moon-cakes features the night event. There is also a beautiful story behind it. Children are told that there's fairy on the moon living in a spacious but cold crystal palace with her sole companion, a jade rabbit. A heavenly general and friend would occasionally pay her a visit, bringing along his fragrant wine. She would then dance a beautiful dance. The shadows on the moon made the story all the more credible and fascinating to the young imaginative minds.

Spring Festival (The Chinese New Year) (1st of the 1st month)
The biggest and most celebrated festival in China and part of east and south east Asia. In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. In the Chinese calendar, winter solstice must occur in the 11th month, which means that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (rarely the third if an intercalary month intervenes). .
« Last Edit: May 26, 2009, 11:21:43 pm by Vince G »
爱你的人如果没有按你所希望的方式来爱你,那并不代表他们没有全心全意地爱你。
Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

Paul Todd

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Re: Chinese holidays
« Reply #1 on: May 03, 2009, 05:19:50 pm »
Thank's Hajo,
It's great to have all this information in one place! :D

Martin

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Re: Chinese holidays
« Reply #2 on: May 03, 2009, 05:38:23 pm »
This is really handy!  Thanks Hajo.

Arnold

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RE: Chinese holidays
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2009, 05:55:59 pm »
Thanks Hajo , but it is somewhat confusing having no actual dates with that . Example : Double 5 festival ( Dragon Boat ) is it on July 5th '09 ? Fifth month after Feb. ... is that right ? That takes some time getting use to .

Anybody have the actual western dates on all those Festival's ?
« Last Edit: May 24, 2009, 08:27:03 pm by Arnold »

Offline MLM

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RE: Chinese holidays
« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2009, 06:16:12 pm »
Arnold Zhou says that Duan Wu is in July 5 this year, you are right it is the 5th month after Feb. this year.
TIME IS THE TELLER OF ALL TRUTHS AND THE HEALER OF ALL HURTS

Vince G

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RE: Chinese holidays
« Reply #5 on: May 24, 2009, 06:28:27 pm »
Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is on 5/28/2009    and they Eat   " Zongzi " dumpling's ( in case Martin want's to know )
« Last Edit: May 27, 2009, 02:48:25 am by Arnold »

Arnold

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RE: Chinese holidays
« Reply #6 on: May 24, 2009, 08:28:33 pm »
Vince , now I'm totally lost . Where can we get all those dates , that make more sence to us ? Please help.

Vince G

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RE: Chinese holidays
« Reply #7 on: May 24, 2009, 11:34:19 pm »
I just did a fast search - Chinese holidays 09 You need the 09 in there so you get the current holiday otherwise you end up with pages and pages to look up. I had a website bookmarked but it didn't say what day it was? So I looked it up at other places.

Offline Oiler1

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RE: Chinese holidays
« Reply #8 on: May 26, 2009, 10:13:39 pm »
I want to avoid going to China during the National Day celebrations. Usually it is listed as Oct. 1 to 3rd but don't the locals get the whole week off?
« Last Edit: May 27, 2009, 01:44:09 am by Oiler1 »

Offline Hajo

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RE: Chinese holidays
« Reply #9 on: May 26, 2009, 10:55:45 pm »
Yes, my lady told me that they will get a week off around National Day celebrations.
爱你的人如果没有按你所希望的方式来爱你,那并不代表他们没有全心全意地爱你。
Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

Offline Oiler1

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RE: Chinese holidays
« Reply #10 on: May 27, 2009, 01:44:34 am »
Quote from: 'Hajo' pid='3931' dateline='1243392945'

Yes, my lady told me that they will get a week off around National Day celebrations.


I know that but precisely which days do they get off?

Arnold

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RE: Chinese holidays
« Reply #11 on: May 27, 2009, 02:06:27 am »
Oiler , I'm sure not everybody get's a week off at the same time . Things got to keep moving . So ask your Lady , for the actual time and dates .

Offline geogexavier

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RE: Chinese holidays
« Reply #12 on: October 24, 2009, 03:01:18 am »
That is awesome.
Nice list oh holidays.Very glad to have that list.
Thank you so much for sharing the post.

brett

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RE: Chinese holidays
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2009, 03:08:13 am »
Yes, not everybody gets the same days off for vacations. Factory workers maybe, but others not so.

Working out when my lady is or is not working is complex science :s.

Offline Proteus

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RE: Chinese holidays
« Reply #14 on: October 26, 2009, 10:45:23 am »
Just two small corrections, Tree-Planting Day is on 3.12, and Teacher's Day 9.10.

But surely the most important festivals for ladies are Valentine's Day and their birthdays. :fi_lone_ranger: