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The International Children's Day

When it is the Children's Day, all the children are cheerful to celebrate their holiday. Both the smiling faces and the jubilant singing sounds are full of happiness and joy. But do you know the origin of the Children's Day? That was because there were many children lost their lives during the war, when it was determined.

 

That was during the Second World War, in June, 1942, Germany and France shot more than 140 men over the age of 16 and all the babies in Czech village, they also took women and 90 children to their camps. Finally, all the houses, buildings were burned down and the whole village was destroyed. In order to pay tribute to all the victims of children of Czech village and all over the world, to oppose imperialists to slaughter and poison children, to protect children's right, according to Executive Committee held in Moscow in November, 1949 by Women's International Democratic Federation, 1, June was decided to be children's festival officially, that was International Children's Day.

 

New Year's Eve

30th Dec, that is New Year's Eve, which is a day for people to eat, drink and play together. In northern China, all the family will have dumplings, and in southern China, people will eat rice cake. Dumplings look like "gold ingot" and rice cake sound like "high", both of them symbolize luck. At night of New Year's Eve, the whole family has a meal together, which means the family's reunion. At the table, fish can not be eaten due to its meaning of rich year by year. Fish, who is just a form of decoration, is untouchable.     

With regard to the origin of the year, there is a legend. It is said that in ancient time, our ancestors had been subjected to threat by one of the most ferocious beast that is called the "year". It caught beasts for food. When it is winter, there is a shortage of food in the mountains, at that time, it will also break into the village. There are no safe places for local people, hunter and livestock. After struggling with "year" for many years, people had found that "year" was afraid of three kinds of things, which were red color, fire and sound. Therefore, people put red peach wood boards on the door in the winter, burned fire in front of the door, did not sleep all night and knock. At that night, when "year" came to the village, it would be afraid of all those things and did not come out any more. And then people celebrated their victory with delicious food and colorful lights.

To celebrate that victory, every winter from then, every household affixed couplet in red paper to the door, hanged electric lanterns and set off fireworks. In addition, at that night, no one will have a sleep. In the morning of the next day, people will congratulate each other. This has been passed down from generation to generation, so it has become "the New Year". The climax of New Year's Eve is New Year's Money given by the elders to children after the dinner, and then pasted couplet and door god and close the door. The light in New Year's Eve will not be out overnight, which is commonly known as "light in the whole year". Nowadays, at the New Year's Eve, Hanshan Temple of Suzhou still follows the old customs to hit the bell to report the beginning of a new year in the last minute of a year.

Spring Festival

Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese people and is the reunion day of family members, just like Christmas in the West.

 

The Spring Festival falls on the 1st day of the 1st lunar month, one month later than the Gregorian calendar. It originated in the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1100 BC). At that time, this festival was held to show people's sacrifice to gods and ancestors at the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one. In fact, the Spring Festival starts every year in the early days of the 12th lunar month and will last till the mid 1st lunar month of the next year. Among them, the Spring Festival Eve and the first three days are the most important days.

 

There are many customs accompanying the Spring Festival, such as paying a New Year call, sticking the Chinese character-Fu, giving money to children as a New Year gift, going back to parents' home, worshipping the kitchen, meeting the God of wealth, eating new year eve's family diner, cleaning the house, sitting up at night to welcome in the New Year, Sticking spring festival couplets and burning firecrackers.

 

On the 8th day of the 12th lunar month, many families make laba porridge, a delicious kind of porridge made with glutinous rice, millet, jujube berries, lotus seeds, beans, longan and gingko.

 

The 23th day of the 12th lunar month is called Preliminary Eve. At this time, people offer sacrifice to the kitchen god. After the Preliminary Eve, people begin preparing for the coming New Year. During this period of the time, people will go out to purchase necessities for the New Year. Materials not only include edible oil, rice, flour, chicken, duck, fish and meat, but also fruit, candies and kinds of nuts. Furthermore, various decorations, new clothes and shoes for the children as well as gifts for the elderly, friends and relatives, are all on the list of purchasing.

 

Before the New Year comes, the people completely clean the indoors and outsides of their homes as well as their clothes, bedclothes and all their utensils. Then, people begin to decorate their house by sticking the Spring Festival couplets on the doors and the Chinese calligraphy with black characters on red paper.

 

People attach great importance to Spring Festival Eve. It is a day of eating, drinking, playing and entertaining. People in northern China will eat jiaozi, or dumplings and southern Chinese will eat niangao (New Year cake made of glutinous rice flour), because jiaozi shapes like a yuanbao and niangao sounds "higher and higher, one year after another", they all mean that everything goes well in the nest year. At that time, all family members eat dinner together. The meal is more luxurious than usual. Dishes such as chicken, fish and bean curd are indispensable, for in Chinese, their pronunciation respectively "ji", "yu", and "doufu", mean auspiciousness, abundance and richness. When having the dinner, the fish on the table, just an ornament, can not be eaten, because it represents the richness and serves as a token of fortune and luckiness in the next year. After the dinner, all the family members will sit together, chatting and watching TV. In recent years, China Central Television Station will broadcast the Spring Festival party which is the essential entertainment for Chinese both at home and abroad.

 

In the morning of the New Year, everybody dresses up. First they extend greetings to their parents. Then each child will receive money as a New Year gift wrapped up in red paper. In the following few days of the new year, people will also extend greetings and wishes to their relatives, friends and neighbors, this activity is called paying a New Year call, one of the most important activities in Spring Festival. This custom has existed for a long time in our country.

 

Burning fireworks was once the most typical custom on the Spring Festival. People thought the spluttering sound could help drive away evil spirits. However, such an activity was completely or partially forbidden in big cities once the government took security, noise and pollution factors into consideration.

 

The lively atmosphere not only fills every household, but fills streets and lanes. A series of activities such as lion dancing, dragon lantern dancing, lantern festivals and temple fairs will be held for several days. The Spring Festival comes to an end when the Lantern Festival is finished.

 

The winter solstice

The winter solstice is a ceremonious Festival in the ancient times. And it is one of the most important festivals in the 24 designations of the altitude of the sun.

 

The origins of this festival can be traced back to the yin and yang philosophy of balance and harmony in the cosmos. After this celebration, there will be days with longer daylight hours and therefore an increase in positive energy flowing in.

 

The night of the winter solstice is the longest day of a year. Traditionally, the winter solstice Festival is also a time for the family to get together. One activity that occurs during these get together (especially in the southern parts of China and in Chinese communities overseas) is the making and eating of Tangyuan or balls of glutinous rice, which symbolize family reunion and prosperity.

 

The folks and the customs about the winter solstice are differ .

 

Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Festival is officially falling on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, also known as Double Fifth Festival. On that day, people will celebrate it by holding Dragon Boat races, eating Zongzi (pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves), hanging the picture of Zhong Kui, guardian against evil spirit, drinking Xiong Huang wine, carrying fragrant silk pouches and so on.

 

There are many stories accounting for its origin, but the most popular and widely accepted version is about Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan was a Chinese patriotic poet from southern Chu during the Warring States Period (457-221 BC). He served as a minister to the Zhou Emperor. A wise and articulate man, he was loved by the common people. He did much to fight against the rampant corruption that plagued the court. His doings earned the envy and fear of other officials. Therefore, when he advised the emperor to avoid conflict with the Qin Kingdom, the officials pressured the Emperor to have him removed from service. In exile, he traveled, taught and wrote for several years. Hearing that the Zhou had been defeated by the Qin, he fell into despair and threw himself into the Milou River.
As he was so loved by the people, in order to keep fish and evil spirits away from his body, people beat drums to scare the fish away and threw Zongzi into the river to feed the fish. The Modern Dragon Boat Festival started from that time to this day, people commemorated Qu Yuan through Dragon Boat Races, eating zong zi, and several other activities, on the anniversary of his death: the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

 

The second story upon the origin of this festival is about Wu Zixu. He was born in the state of Chu. After his father and his brother were executed by the king of Chu, with strong desire to revenge for his father and brother, he fled to the state of Wu. There, he helped the king to launch major offensives against the state of Chu. They prevailed in five battles and conquered the capital of Chu. After the passing of former King, Wu Zixu did not earn the trust of Fuchai, the new King of Wu. In particular, he saw the long-term danger of King Goujian of Yue and advised the king to conquer that state. Owing to listen to the slanderous talk of others', the king gave a sword to him to commit suicide. He was considered as an example of filial piety. Some people believe that the Dragon Boat Festival actually commemorates the death of Wu Zixu, whose body was thrown into the river.

The third story associates with the commemoration of filial daughter-Cao E. At the age of her 14, her father was drowned into the river. Several days later, she could not find her father's corpus and had been crying along the river for day and night. 17 days later, on the fifth day of the fifth month she threw herself into the river and carried his father out of the river after five days. In order to remember her event, people built the Cao E temple in the place where she jumped into the river, changed the name of the village where she lived into Cao E village.

 

The forth one is to commemorate the modern revolutionary poetess-Qiu Jin. She took part in the revolution at her 28 years old. When organizing the uprising, she was captured and sacrificed bravely.

 

Making offerings to the kitchen god

In December 23, said that "the lunar year in which the last month has 29 days", is the day which the folk offer sacrifice to the kitchen god. 　　

It is said that in the December 23 every year, Kitchen God must ascend the heaven to report this family person's good and evil to jade emperor, let the jade emperor made a judge to awarded and punished. Therefore when delivered the stove, the people made an offering and put candy, clear water, fodder beans and fodder grass on the table in front of the statue of Kitchen God. And, the last three types were prepared for saddle horse which ascended to heaven for the Kitchen Gods. When offered sacrifice to the kitchen god, people must melt the Gantong candy with the fire, then spreaded on Kitchen God's mouth. Thus, he could not say malicious remarks to jade emperor. The folk had the custom that "male does not pay respects to the moon, the female does not offer sacrifice to the kitchen god", therefore offering sacrifice to the kitchen god is only restricted in the man. 　　

"Meets stove ", " Meets god ". After each family burned the sedan horse, sprinkled three cups of wine and packed off the stove god, is one's turn worshiped the ancestor.

 

Cold food festival

April 4 every year---the day before Qingming Festival. It is said that, this holiday, is to commemorate the people named Jie zhitui in Spring and Autumn Period.

Jie zhitui is an honest minister in Jin at that time who served the childe Zhonger (Jinwengong). Jin has the civil chaos, the Childe Zhonger is forced to flee abroad, Jie Zhitui doesn't afraid of difficulties and hardships in exile but follow Zhonger, once even cut his leg meat to make soup for Zhonger. After ascended the throne, Zhonger always remembering Jie zhitui's benevolence at first, but as the time past, he forget gradually. That makes Jie zhitui so gloomy that he go back to hometown with his old mother and seclude in mountain. 　　

One day, Jinwengong find that Jie zhitui is not in his side and remember himself forget to reward this honest minister, then he goes to mountain to search him personally for guilty.  But only see the dense forest and do not see Jie zhitui. Suddenly, he remembers that Jie zhitui is of filial, if set on fire burn the mountain, he must certainly carry his mother to come out. Therefore, Zhonger orders burn the mountain, finally the fire spreads dozens of miles and lasts more than 3 days, but Jie zhitui has not come out at last. After the fire extinguished, people walks into the mountain to observe and they only discover that Jie zhitui and his mother are burned to death in remote mountain, who are hugged with each other.

With the spread of this incident, Jie zhitui is respected and fondly remembered by everybody. Later then in the day he dies---the day before Qingming Festival, people will commemorate him. Because Jie zhitui is burnt by the fire, people prefer to swallow the cold food rather than light a fire in this day, so, this day is called "Cold food festival ".

 

Laba Festival

The most significant festival of Laba is Dec.8. It is called "La Date" in ancient time, popular name "Laba Festival". Since pre-Qin Dynasty, Laba Festival is used for worshipping their ancestors and gods, praying for good harvest and good fortune.  It is said that the date Buddhism founder Skamuni becomes enlightened is also Dec. 8, therefore Laba is the festival for Buddhists too.

There is a custom in Laba that people eat Laba porridge, which is also called as Qibao Wuwei porridge. Our country has more than 1000-year history of eating Laba porridge. It starts from Song Dynasty at first. On Dec.8, everyone including royal family, government authorities, the temple or the common people have to cook Laba porridge. To the Qing Dynasty, the custom of eating Laba congee becomes more prevailed.

 

The kinds of Laba congee in China are regionally varied from each other. Among them, the most exquisite is Beiping's: the things mixed with rice are abundant, such as red jujube, lotus seed, walnut, chestnut, almond, meat of pine nut, longan, hazelnut, grape, ginkgo seed, water chestnut, rose, red bean, peanut, which are more than twenty kinds in total. People become busy from the night of Dec.7, they wash rich, soak nuts, skin, then begin to boil them separately from the midnight, after that, stew them with slow fire till the next morning, when the Laba porridge is ok. What's more, Laba porridge is also used as witchcraft in folk. Farmers will daub Laba congee on the branches of flower and fruit trees they grow in yard in order to get harvest in the coming year.

 

Chinese Valentine's Day

In old days July 7 is a very lively holiday in the folk, at that time the festival attracts young ladies most. They put on new clothes, worship two stars, and test for skill.

In Song dynasty, most of the children in Hangzhou are imitate the "Mohouluo" in July 7, puts on clothes of half sleeve, decorated with picture like Qiu leaf, fruits and melons, which are used for test for skill; They make up well and cheerfully put the mandarin duck made of wax at the lake bank competitively. Women prefer storing spider in box and let it weave net, which is used to judge how skillful women are according to the density. Thread needle for test for skill is one activity belongs to girls during Chinese Valentine's Day. It is said that it has been prevailed in Han Dynasty.

"Jin chu sui shi ji" record: July 7 is the date that the cowherd and the weaving maid meet with each other.(It is said that long time ago, cowherd is an ordinary boy and the weaving maid is the Jade Emperor's daughter, they fell in love with each other, which is forbidden by the Jade Emperor. So they were separated cruelly and only can meet each other on the day of July 7, so people name the date as Chinese Valentine's Day). At the night of July 7, women thread needle that with seven holes. Someone else change 'thread needle' to 'throw needle'. The specific method is at the night in July 7, hold a bowl of water and put it under the star light. Then put the embroidery needle, let it keep floating. As the star light shinning upon, its shadow will be changeable and according to the shape, people can judge how skillful the girls who put needles are.

 

Also one kind of game is seven girls invites mutually, then get together in garden courtyard, cover their own face with handkerchief. After that, raise their head and toward the star, predict the marriage by what they see. But how can they see the star with their eyes covered? So it is just imagine instead of looking at the star.

 

Pure Brightness Festival

Pure Brightness Festival is a traditional festival that celebrated on the day of the pure brightness in spring and is one of 24 designations of the altitude of the sun. It is the occasion for all Chinese to honor their ancestors and was originated from the Zhou Dynasty and has a history of more than 2500 years.

 

During this day, various kinds of traditional activities are made, such as sweeping the tombstones of ancestors, burning ceremonial paper money for the dead, going to the suburbs, swinging, flying a kite, cockfighting, and playing ball, etc. Among all this traditional activities, pay respects at tomb is the major memorial on that day, it is a specific representation to Piety.

 

Festivals of Chinese minority

Uighur
The belief of Uiguhurs is Islam. Apart from Rozah and Eid ul-adha, the festivals for Uiguhurs are Duwa, Maodelu, Sarahartman, and Balat. In these festivals, people not only sing and dance, but also hold sheep, wrestling, skiing, skating and other recreational activities.

Kazakans
The belief of Kazakh people is Islam. Except the festivals held by the Islam believers, the unique festival of Kazakams is Nawuluzi which is equal to Spring Festival of Han. On that day, each family will have special Mawuluzi Meal to bid farewell to the old and usher in the new and offer best wishes for the harvest next year.

Hui
Xinjiang Hui people treat Rozah as an important festival and just regarded Eid ul-adha as a festival. They take special attention to Christmas Day.

Mongolian
The main festival of Mongolian is Spring Festival. The most large-scale entertainment activity is Naadam Meeting, in which people will hold horse racing, archery, wrestling and other activities, is
also a convention to exchange goods.

Kirgiz
In addition to the festivals ruled by Islam, the special festival of Kirgiz is Nuofenzi and St. Seaman's Day. The former one is similar to Spring Festival of Han, the latter is held in harvest time in autumn.

Xibo
The most solemn festival of Xibo is Moved Westward Festival, which is in 18th, April of lunar year. On that day, all the people should wear national cosumes, sing and dance together.

Tajiks
Except for the provision of the Islamic holiday, the unique festivals of Tajiks are: Qi urapidil -cleaning houses, yards, sprinkle flour, etc; Barou- people insert torch in every house roof and paly all night; Planting Festival and Pilot Festival.

Lantern Festival

The Chinese traditional Lantern Festival takes place on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month because the first month is called yuan-month and in the ancient times people called night Xiao. The 15th day is the first night to see a full moon in the year, so the day is also called Yuan Xiao Festival and Shan Yuan Festival in China. According to the Chinese tradition, at the very beginning of a new year, when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. At this time, people will try to solve puzzles on the lanterns and eat yuanxiao (glutinous rice ball) and get all their families united in the joyful atmosphere.

 

Lantern Festival, originating from the Han Dynasty, was held to commemorate the day of suppressing the Empress Lu by Emperor Wendi. After the death of Emperor Huidi-Liu Ying, Empress Lu and her relatives controlled the throne and the state. Until the death of Empress Lu, two officials, Zhou Bo and Chen Ping, gathered with other people rooted out her force and supported Liu Heng as Emperor Wendi. Because the day of suppressing the force of Empress Lu was exactly on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, from then on, at that night in each year, Emperor Wendi would come out of the imperial palace without wearing uniforms to celebrate this day with citizens and officially called that day Lantern Festival. When it came to the era of Emperor Wudi, the sacrificial altar of Taiyi God was held on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month. Sima Qian, the father of Chinese historiographer, also classified Lantern Festival as an important festival and listed it in the Tai Chu Li.

 

Traditionally, we have the habit of eating yuanxiao on that day. It is a popular belief among the people that yuanxiao can be traced back to the Chu Zhaowang in spring and autumn period. One day in a year, Chu Zhaowang found a float in the surface of Yangtze River when passing by it. The float was a kind of food with red inside and white outside. Then, he asked Confucius what this float was. Confucius said: "It is a kind of fruit and it is an indication of revivification to the king who gets it." Yuanxiao, just like niangao in the Spring Festival and Zongzi in the Dragon Boat Festival, is the festival food. Eating yuanxiao is symbolizing the family reunion like the full moon and is indicating that people are in the hope of leading a happy life in the future. Yuanxiao in Southern China, also called "Tangyuan", "Yuanzi", is made of glutinous rice. Its fillings include sweetened bean paste, white sugar, hawthorn etc. It can be boiled, fried, steamed and fried.

 

Bid Farewell to the Junior Poverty on the 6th of the first month of the lunar New Year

On the first month of the lunar New Year, it is the spring festival. We celebrate every single day of this month with a well-prepared excuse. And on the 6th of the first month of the lunar New Year, we got this excuse, which is bid farewell to the Junior Poverty.

 

This typical traditional custom is passed down from the Song Dynasty. According to legend, the Junior Poverty is the little son of immortal Zhuan Xu, he is short and weak, and had a strange character that he was especially fond of dressing himself in rags, eating the unpalatable food. As is supported that, he would bring bad luck, especially poverty, trouble and misfortune to the people around him. So, people want to bid farewell to him thus they can achieve wealth and fortune.

Nowadays, People hold this ceremony every year with the purpose of getting rid of poverty, trouble and misfortune, pursuing of luck and happiness.

 

The first origin of Mid-autumn Day

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the eighth month (the second month of autumn) is called zhongqiu, while the 15th day of that month is in the middle of the zhongqiu and therefore called Mid-autumn day. Mid-autumn Day has lots of nicknames. It is called "August Festival" because it is falling on the 15th of August; it is commonly referred to as "Moon Festival" because all the major activities on that day are associating with the moon; it is called "reunion festival" because the moon on that night is complete full and shining brightly, symbolizing the reunion. In Tang dynasty, Mid-autumn was also known as "Duanzheng Month". This festival mentioned in written documents began in Ming dynasty. In the "Notes on the West Lake", it is recorded that on the mid-autumn day, people will mutually give moon cake as a gift to express the meaning of reunion. On the night of Mid-autumn day, it is customary to bake the little cake, looking like moon cake with sugar, sesame, osmanthus fragrans and vegetables wrapped in it and different kinds of animals' designs carved on its surface. After finishing the worship to the moon, the elderly family members cut the cake into pieces and give them to each of the family members. If any one of them is not in, they will leave one piece to him or her, showing the reunion of this family.

 

The night on that day is with thin cloud and fog and brightly shining moon, apart from enjoying the glorious full moon, people will worship the moon, eat moon cake etc and particularly in some places people will hold the activity of playing with the grass dragon, building the temple. Besides moon cake, all kinds of fresh fruits and dried fruits are also the indispensable food in the food list of that day.

Double Ninth Festival

Double Ninth Festival is a festival showing the respects to the seniors and it falls on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. In ancient times, number "6" was thought to be of Yin character, meaning feminine, while number "9" was thought to be yang, meaning masculine, therefore, chongjiu was also known as chongyang.

 

The origin of Double Ninth Festival can be traced back to Han dynasty. It is said that every year on the ninth day of ninth month, it is customary to wear the Zhuyu and drink chrysanthemum wine in the Han palace to pray for long life. After lady Qi, loved concubine of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, was killed by Empress Lu, her maid was also removed from the palace and thus this custom was brought out of the palace by this maid.

 

In ancient times, it is customary to ascend a height on that day, so Double Ninth Festival is also called Height Ascending Festival. According to the legend, this tradition originated in East Han Dynasty. In Tang dynasty there were lots of poetries upon ascending a height, most of which were associating with the customs of Double Ninth Festival. The septasylabic regulated verses-Ascending the Height written by Du Fu, a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty, was one of those famous poetries. The height people will reach is usually a mountain or a tower. Traditionally, People will eat Double Ninth Cakes on that day. The cakes will have as many as nine layers, looking like a tower.

 

On Double Ninth Festival, people will appreciate the chrysanthemum and drink the chrysanthemum wine. This custom was passed down from Tao Yuanmin，a famous hermit, was renowned for writing the poetries and drinking the wine, also for his loving to the chrysanthemum. As the next generations followed suit, from then on, the custom of enjoying chrysanthemum came into being. Still, most old scholar bureaucrats had combined enjoying chrysanthemum with feast to show their love to the chrysanthemum.