Chinese Festivals In China

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Chinese Festivals

The festivals of China represent a strong nexus with the brilliant part of the ancient Chinese culture. The festivals beautifully reflect and further help to trace the exotic meaning and long established history associated with the Chinese culture. The very spirit and enthusiasm with which the Chinese celebrate the festivals is deeply integrated with the time-honored history of more than 5000 years. The sanctity of these festivals has been magnificently described and reflected from a spiritual perspective in the countless masterpieces written down by eminent poets in China and abroad. It has been known that most of the traditional festivities emerged in the era of Qin dynasty (221-206 BC). However elements like primitive …show more content…

These basic elements are representative of the fact how the Chinese consider their festivals to be their cultural heritage and this is one of the major reasons why the Chinese are known to be very serious about every aspect of the preparation for the festivals. One can witness a close nexus between the traditional Chinese festivals and chronology, mathematics and the Chinese lunar calendar. The varying dates of the Chinese festivals can be attributed to the Chinese lunar calendar, as the occasions are not determined by the western calendar. The most popular of the Chinese festivals include the Spring festival (Chinese New Year), Lantern festival, Moon festival, Double Ninth festival etc. From disparate influences and traditions, to the intersections of people, space and time, these celebrations seek to explore China’s enormous worldwide legacy that has been proudly spoken about. In light of the general description about the nature of festivals in China, it is inevitable to distinguish and elaborate on the distinct characteristics of the major festivals. The spring festival also referred to as the Chinese New Year is considered to be one of the most important Chinese festivals. The celebrations of this festival can be looked down to as far as the Shang dynasty …show more content…

The widespread use of the color ‘red’ can be attributed to the myth as it was used to scare off the monster. The festival is time for family reunions, exchanging gifts and lighting fireworks. The celebrations begin with the advent of the very first day of the New Year and continue up to the commencement of the Lantern festival. The celebrations are known to last for good fifteen days. The Lantern festival can be traced back to the Han dynasty. The lanterns were lit for the first time as a mark of respect for the Lord Buddha. This special celebration marks the last day of the Spring festival each year according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Guessing riddles, eating rice dumplings, the lion and dragon dance form the key elements that guide the way celebrations are carried out. The Qingming festival is also known as the clear and bright festival in popular terms. The festival traditionally marked the phase of the year where it was appropriate for the farmers to plough and sow the fields. Sacrifice to the ancestors is the second aspect associated with this festival. And therefore the festival brings forth the two diametrically opposite

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