The twelve traditional festivals in China are as follows:
1, Spring Festival
The first day of the first month is the Spring Festival, which is the beginning of a new year and the most solemn traditional festival of the Chinese nation. The Spring Festival originated from the activities of offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors at the beginning and end of the Yin and Shang Dynasties. It is the grandest, most lively and most important ancient traditional festival in China. Festival activities mainly include New Year greetings, posting Spring Festival couplets, setting off firecrackers, and including jiaozi. Poems describing the Spring Festival include "January Day" by Wang Anshi in the Northern Song Dynasty: the sound of firecrackers is one year old, and the spring breeze sends warmth into Tu Su. Thousands of families always change new peaches for old ones.
2. Lantern Festival
The fifteenth day of the first month is the Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan, Yuanxi and Yuanye, and there is a custom of watching lanterns and eating Yuanxiao (sweet dumplings). Dumpling dumplings in the south and Yuanxiao in the north. Poems describing the Lantern Festival include Song Dynasty writer Ouyang Xiu's poem "Sheng Cha Zi ● Yuan Xi": Last year's Lantern Festival, the flower market was lit like a day. The moon rose above the willow tree, At dusk he had a tryst with me. The lantern festival on the fifteenth day of the first month of this year, the moonlight and the lights are still the same as last year. No longer saw last year's old friend, tears of tears were wet to the clothes. Since the Tang dynasty, there has been a folk custom of watching lanterns and making noise at night. During the Northern Song Dynasty, from 14th to 16th days, curfews were imposed, lantern street flower markets were toured, and songs and dances were held all night, which was an unprecedented occasion. It was also a good opportunity for young people to have a tryst and talk about love.
3. Cold Food Festival
Cold food should be eaten two or one days before Qingming, and no fire should be used. Eat cold food for three days. Legend has it that when Jin Wengong was in exile, meson tui once cut shares for him to feed his hunger. However, after Jin Wengong returned to China as a monarch, he forgot meson tui, and meson tui didn't want to boast and compete for favor, so he lived in seclusion with his mother. Later, Jin Wengong repeatedly asked meson to push him out of the mountain, but he didn't want to be an official. Finally, Jin Wengong set fire to the mountain, and meson tui burned his mother to death under the tree. Later generations, in memory of loyal ministers and righteous men, did not light a fire and ate cold food on the day when Jietui died.
4. Tomb-Sweeping Day
Tomb-Sweeping Day is on April 5th every year, and the main activities are grave sweeping and hiking. Qingming is also one of the 24 solar terms. Tomb-Sweeping Day's poems include the Qingming Festival written by Du Mu in Tang Dynasty: During the Qingming Festival, there are many rains, and pedestrians on the road want to die. Ask the local people where to buy wine and worry? The shepherd boy laughed and did not answer the apricot mountain village.
5. Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, and customs include dragon boat racing, eating zongzi, picking mugwort leaves and tying red lines. It is said that it was to commemorate Qu Yuan's death in the Miluo River on this day.
6. Chinese Valentine's Day
Tanabata is the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, also known as Begging for Cleverness Festival. It is said that Cowherd and Weaver Girl meet each other through Tianhe every night. Women put preserved fruits and wines in front of the court and put seven-hole needles on the moon with five-color threads. It is clever to pass, which is called Begging for Cleverness. Chinese Valentine's Day can be said to be China's Valentine's Day. The poem describing Tanabata is "Que Qiao Xian" by Qin Guan: When the golden wind and the jade dew meet, they will win over countless people. Common v acacia, tender feelings water, a brief encounter like a dream, when they can not bear to see the bridge road. As long as the two love us to the end, why covet the Herren of me?
7. Mid-Autumn Festival
In the Middle Yuan Dynasty, it was the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. In the old days, Taoist temples were used for fasting to feed evil spirits, and monks' temples were used for the Bonsai to free relatives from evil spirits. Later, it gradually became Ghost Festival. On this day, people held activities such as offering sacrifices to deceased relatives.
8. Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival is August 15th, which is in the center of the three months in autumn. At this time, it is around the autumnal equinox, the autumn is crisp, and the moon is brighter when it is full, which is the time for family reunion. On this festival, families get together, enjoy the moon, worship the moon and eat moon cakes. The legend is to commemorate Chang 'e.
Moon cakes are the first food in Mid-Autumn Festival, and there are many opinions about their origins. -At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Liu Bowen, the counselor of Zhu Yuanzhang, the leader of the anti-Yuan uprising in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, took advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival people to give each other round cakes and put them in the cakes? Kill Tartars on the night of August 15th? The note, everyone saw the note in the cake, spread from one mouth to ten, spread from ten to one hundred, as promised to do all kinds of things together on this night? Tartars (Yuan Bing), after that, every family ate cakes to celebrate the victory of the uprising, and officially called the round cakes of the Mid-Autumn Festival moon cakes.
9. Double Ninth Festival
Chongyang is September 9, and nine is the pole of yang number, hence the name. There are habits of climbing mountains, enjoying chrysanthemums, drinking and wearing cornus on this day. It is now designated as the festival for the elderly. Poems describing the Double Ninth Festival include on the mountain holiday thinking of my brothers in shandong written by Wang Wei in the Tang Dynasty: Being a stranger in a foreign land, I miss my family twice every festive season. Think of the brothers body boarded up high, will also because of less than I have a regret.
10, Laba Festival
The winter solstice is the shortest day, and the ancients regarded it as the starting point of solar terms, and they should hold celebration and sacrifice activities. In ancient times, the La Worship was held at the end of the year, which was called the twelfth lunar month (the date is uncertain). According to Buddhist legend, Sakyamuni was 80% Taoist in the first day of December, so the Buddhist temple would cook porridge to respect the Buddha on this day. Affected by this, the people set Laba as the day (Laba) and cooked Laba porridge.
1 1, off-year
Off-year is December 23rd or 24th (now 23rd), which is also called Kitchen Sacrifice Day. It is said that Kitchen God is the guardian god sent by God to the people, and reports the good and evil of the people on this day every year. So this day, people worship the kitchen, hoping to speak well of themselves to God, thus forming China people to eat kitchen candy during off-year. This day is mainly about sweeping dust and offering sacrifices to stoves.
12, New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is the last night of the year, and the old year ends today, and the next day is the new year, so it is called. Customs include avoiding evil spirits (burning firecrackers), observing the old age, and having a reunion dinner.