Chinese Festivals 南航大外国语学院 吴鼎民教授

春节的历史 The history of Spring Festival Chinese traditional festivals and rituals, a part of Chinese culture, are the results of its legends of ancestors and agricultural production experiences. As early as the Xia dynasty 夏朝 (21-16 century B.C.), the first day of the first moon in the lunar calendar was known as the "head of year". But it was not until the Han dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.) that the day became a widely celebrated holiday.  中国的农历起于夏朝,所以又称为”夏历”

After the 1911 revolution, however, the Gregorian calendar officially replaced the traditional Chinese calendar and the "beginning of the year" became known as the Spring Festival. In post-1949 China, the Spring Festival has become a national holiday which is celebrated throughout the entire country.

福 Fu (good fortune) paste “ Fu ” 福 (good fortune) upside down

Year-end household cleaning

Spring Festival SPRING FESTIVAL is as important to Chinese as Christmas to westerns. It is the Chinese New Year, known also as "passing the year" in Chinese, marking the most important and popular of all Chinese festivals.

Spring Festival activities: hang red lanterns

Chinanews, Beijing, Feb. 10 – The traditional ways of celebrating the Spring Festival (Lunar New Year) like firing fireworks, putting up Spring Festival scrolls or couplets and visiting friends are no longer popular in many places around China. "New Year's Eve dinner is tasty no more, and the holiday is really boring," complain many Chinese. Social Survey Institute of China conducted an investigation recently, only to find that 63% of Chinese feel Spring Festival today unattractive.   According to the survey, 77% of the responders are prone to celebrate the Spring Festival with their spouses and children, rather than to have a big family-reunion feast in their hometowns. The traditional "big" family concept is no longer popular with the fast economic development and urbanization in China.   Besides, unlike their elders, 40% of the responders admit that they will do the cooking at home during the Spring Festival, but will buy food from restaurants and supermarkets instead. To them, the 7-day Spring Festival holiday is a rare chance to relax from the fatigue and pressures from their work.   Nearly all of the responders (some 90%) agree that New Year presents are very important, and 67% of the presents will be sent to their family members, especially their spouses, 20% to friends, and 13% to colleagues or bosses. About 70% of the responders will give gifts in cash.

paste "the image of the god of wealth" onto doors, window or walls

new year pictures

Door protectors

Couplets with Auspicious words: spring festival scrolls Couplets with Auspicious words: Money and treasures will be plentiful Wishing you every success Promoting to a higher position Safe trip wherever you go  

ignite firecrackers to drive away the legendary animal “ Nian ”年 which would bring bad omen, that‘s how the alternative name of Spring Festival “ Guo Nian ” 过年 came forth. 放鞭炮 fang bian pao

make dumplings 包饺子

lantern play, lion play, dragon play, Shehuo play etc.

lantern play, lion play, dragon play, Shehuo play etc.

拜年 bai nian 拜年 pay a New Year call 压岁钱 Money given to children as a Lunar New Year gift

Lantern Festival 元宵节 Yuan Xiao LANTERN FESTIVAL falls on the 15th day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar. The name of this festival is in fact derived from a Tang dynasty 唐朝 (618-907) custom of hanging out lanterns on the night of the festival. The Lantern Festival is also celebrated with round dumplings made of glutinous rice flour and filled with a variety of sweet fillings, known as Yuan Xiao (literally "the night of the first full moon"), which is another name for the festival. Sweet rice-flour dumplings

Lantern show