Festivals

Laba Festival 2019

by Christina Barker on Sat, Jan 12 2019

This traditional, pre-Chinese New Year, holiday promotes good fortune for the coming year. 

‘La’ is a Chinese character with the meaning of offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors. ‘Ba’ is the number eight. The festival falls on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month.  This falls on the 13th January this year.

The festival was not traditionally celebrated on a particular date until the influence of Buddhism came along - much later during the southern and northern dynasties.  This is when the fixed date was allocated.

Although more recently the Laba festival celebrates... Read more

Dragon Boat Festival 2018

by Christina Barker on Thu, May 24 2018

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated mostly in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The people of China usually receive a three-day break from work in order to celebrate with friends and family.

This year the Dragon Boat Festival will be celebrated between 16th - 18th June.

The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the busiest holidays in China. During this time, people visit to enjoy the various festivities associated with the holiday. It is common to see impressive crowds during this time. 

The Dragon Boat Festival goes by many names in China and across the world. In Mainland China, the... Read more

Lantern Festival 2018

by Suyen Hu on Mon, Mar 19 2018

The New Year celebration actually lasts for 15 days and finishes on the Lantern Festival on 2nd March 2018!

Read more

SO, WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO WEAR THE MOON ON THEIR HEAD? TIME FOR THE CHINESE MOON FESTIVAL.

by Roy Preece on Tue, Oct 03 2017

Our moon is especially beautiful at this time of year. Mostly we don’t much notice the rising and setting of the moon, but astronomical events do tend to force it on our attention in September-October.  

Chinese love an excuse for families to get together, as we have noted before, and eat special food and have fun. They have many festival days, often based on the traditional farming calendar. 

  

Moon Festival, also known as Mid-Autumn Festival, is the time of the second... Read more

NATIONAL TEACHER'S CELEBRATIONS IN TAIWAN

by Roy Preece on Thu, Sep 28 2017

In September university tutors in England who have international students from Taiwan may be pleasantly surprised to receive unexpected presents, for the 28th of September is celebrated in Taiwan as National Teachers’ Day. The role of teaching is honoured in Chinese society, although as so often with respected occupations everywhere, that does not mean that teachers are well-paid or powerful. On this day pupils show their respect and thanks to their teachers for their education, and this is usually well-deserved since education in Taiwan, as in many Asian countries, is generally excellent. Children may also perform little ceremonies or concerts... Read more

Hungry Ghost Festival 2018

by Christina Barker on Wed, Aug 16 2017

Hungry Ghost Festival 2018

Hungry Ghost Festival 2017

 The Hungry Ghost Month (鬼月, Guǐ Yuè) is a traditional Buddhist and Taoist holiday held in Asian countries during the seventh lunar month. This is usually celebrated in August or September, depending on the lunar calendar.

The highlight of the month is the Hungry Ghost Festival, which this year is held on Saturday 11th August.

 

Hungry Ghost Origami Boat

In celebration of Ghost Month We've provided you with all you need to make your... Read more

Mazu the Sea Goddess in Taiwan

by Suyen Hu on Thu, Apr 06 2017

The main ceremony of Mazu's birthday in March lunar calendar
Read more

Tomb Sweeping Day 2017

by Roy Preece on Mon, Apr 03 2017

A great day for Chinese families, and one of the most popular Chinese festivals, takes place today on April 4th  It’s called ‘Tomb Sweeping Day’. It’s also called ‘Clear Brightness Festival’ or Qing Ming, and it has many meanings for Chinese people. Qing Ming combines two important traditions of Chinese life.  

Respect for ancestors is an ancient tradition, and Tomb Sweeping Festival dates back at least 2500 years. It is celebrated in various ways throughout Chinese communities in Asia. It is a public holiday which can involve everyone in a community; the famous Read more

Valentine’s day isn’t the only day to honour your loved ones…

by Stephanie Henwood on Tue, Feb 14 2017

Today here in the UK, amongst many others, we celebrate Valentine’s day; February 14th each year marks the day that we honour our lovers and express our affection through gift. Widely presented as flowers, confectionary and greetings cards.

Traditionally, the day symbolises an admiration for early saints such as St Valentinus. It is a recognised and significant celebration across cultures throughout the world but is not a marked public holiday.

China is one of the few countries that do not traditionally celebrate Valentine’s day on February 14th. Instead, we celebrate our romantic attachments on 7th day of the 7th... Read more

Lantern Festival – A celebration of Light… And Love?

by Stephanie Henwood on Tue, Feb 14 2017

 

 

15 days after the first day of the new lunar calendar (Chinese New Year’s Day) greets us with another, widely celebrated festival – The Lantern Festival, or Spring Lantern Festival.

The Lantern Festival is the second most significant celebration in the lunar calendar (after Chinese New Year) and is a celebration of the coming of light. There are other, varying beliefs surrounding Lantern Festival but the one that I like to follow is the belief surrounding the escape from the darkness of... Read more

Chinese New Year Eve 2017

by Suyen Hu on Mon, Mar 19 2018

Do you know what people in Taiwan do before New Year's Day?

A typo at 03:23 Rooser people should be Rooster people, apologies.

Read more

Happy Chinese New Year

by Suyen Hu on Wed, Nov 23 2016

New Year Eve in the Year of Jiawu   

A traditional Chinese poem to wish you a very happy Chinese New Year

My hair has become white and untidy;

But still I stay up all night by the fireplace to see the New Year in.

I light the candles and drink up my wine; I empty my purse for the children to buy gifts to celebrate this Spring Festival.

When I hear the firecrackers banging, I feel excited; when I see people posting their poems on each other’s doors, I want to read the poems.

There are sounds of... Read more

Make your own Dancing Dragon

by Suyen Hu on Fri, Jan 06 2017

Step 1. Save and print out the two pictures of the dragon on two A4 sheets.


Step 2. Get your scissors, colouring pen or pencils, two sticks and sellotape ready. 

Step 3. Watch the video.


Step 4. Give it a go now!

Read more

Laba Festival

by Stephanie Henwood on Thu, Jan 05 2017

This traditional, pre-Chinese New Year, holiday promotes good fortune for the coming year. 

‘La’ is a Chinese character with the meaning of offering sacrifices to gods and ancestors. ‘Ba’ is the number eight. The festival falls on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month.  This will be 15th January on the lunar calendar but if using the western calendar then it falls on 11th February this year.

The festival was not traditionally celebrated on a particular date until the influence of Buddhism came along - much later during the southern and northern dynasties.  This is when the... Read more

Double Ninth Festival / Seniors Day

by Stephanie Henwood on Mon, Oct 10 2016

Seniors Day Celebrations

Today is the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar (09 October 16) and the day we celebrate Double Ninth Festival... More modernly known as 'Seniors Day'.

We have spent the day enjoying roast pig, eating Chongyang cake for afters and burning incense sticks. But more importantly, we have enjoyed our time spent with our elders.

Today we make that extra special effort for Grandma's and Grandpa's with displays of affection for their significance in our lives.

Snowflake Books have teamed up with... Read more

Mid-Autumn Festival Legends

by Suyen Hu on Wed, Sep 14 2016

We have selected two beautiful legends from the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Both stories are about beautiful ladies. The first one is a bit sad and is about a lady called Chang E. The second one is a happy story about a princess called Nong Yu. You can find Nong Yu’s story in our book Dragon Tales: Stories of Chinese Dragon. It is called ‘A Good Son in-law’.


The Moon Goodness: Chang E

Read more

Moon Cake Festival 15th September

by Stephanie Henwood on Tue, Sep 06 2016

Moon Festival

Mid-Autumn Festival, or otherwise known as ‘Moon Festival’ is the harvest festival celebrated by Chinese during the 8th Month of the Chinese Calendar.


It is interesting to find that eastern and western calendars differ, for example; According to Chinese lunar calendar, the 8th month is the second month of Autumn.  In the UK Autumn begins in September (the 9th month for westerners).


Moon Festival is generally celebrated on 15th day of the 8th month.  This is because it is calculated to be the middle... Read more

Chinese Valentines Day / Double Seventh Day 2018

by Christina Barker on Tue, Aug 09 2016

Friday 17th August 2018 marks the date of The Qixi Festival.

This Chinese festival celebrates the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaver girl in Chinese mythology. It falls on the seventh day of the 7th month on the Chinese lunar calendar and is now more commonly known as ‘Chinese Valentines day, or Double Seventh Festival (On double Seventh day).

The festival originated from the tale of The Weaver Girl and Cowheard, a romantic legend of two lovers, Zhinü (the Weaver Maid) and Niulang... Read more

Top 5 facts about Chinese New Year

by Suyen Hu on Thu, Jan 28 2016

Did you know that Chinese festivals take place according to the lunar calendar?

The New Year starts on the first new moon after the sun enters the constellation of Aquarius. This system helps to keep the lunar calendar in step with the solar calendar. The traditional farmers’ work calendar divides the year into twenty-four fortnightly periods starting from New Year. 

Did you know that the most important meal of the whole year for Chinese people is the family reunion dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve when every member of the family tries to... Read more