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Chinese Calendar

Explore Traditional Chinese Festivals

Spring Festival

Date: Lunar January 1st

The most important traditional Chinese festival marking the beginning of the Lunar New Year, featuring customs like粘贴春联 (pasting couplets), setting off firecrackers, family reunions for New Year's Eve dinner, and visiting relatives.

Lantern Festival

Date: Lunar January 15th

The first major festival after Spring Festival, celebrated with lantern displays, solving riddles written on lanterns, and eating sweet rice dumplings (tangyuan), also known as Shangyuan Festival.

Dragon Head Raising Day

Date: Lunar February 2nd

Traditionally believed to be the day when dragons awaken from hibernation, people get haircuts, worship the kitchen god, and pray for good weather and harvests.

Shangsi Festival

Date: Lunar March 3rd

Ancient festival for purification rituals, modern celebrations include spring outings and kite flying in some regions.

Qingming Festival

Date: April 4-6th (Gregorian calendar)

Traditional festival for honoring ancestors through tomb sweeping, while also being a popular time for spring outings to enjoy nature's beauty.

Dragon Boat Festival

Date: Lunar May 5th

Celebrated in memory of poet Qu Yuan, featuring dragon boat races, eating zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings), and hanging mugwort, one of China's four major traditional festivals.

Qixi Festival

Date: Lunar July 7th

China's traditional Valentine's Day based on the legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl, also known as the Begging Festival for girls to pray for needlework skills.

Hungry Ghost Festival

Date: Lunar July 15th

Also known as Zhongyuan Festival, a traditional festival for honoring ancestors with rituals including offering sacrifices, releasing river lanterns, and paying respects to departed spirits, one of the three major ghost festivals along with Qingming and Cold Clothes Festival.

Mid-Autumn Festival

Date: Lunar August 15th

A harvest festival celebrating family reunions with moon gazing, eating mooncakes, and enjoying Osmanthus wine, one of China's four major traditional festivals symbolizing unity and prosperity.

Double Ninth Festival

Date: Lunar September 9th

Celebrated with mountain climbing, admiring chrysanthemums, wearing dogwood, and honoring the elderly as a special respect for seniors day.

Cold Clothes Festival

Date: Lunar October 1st

Traditional festival for paying respects to ancestors by burning paper clothes as offerings to keep them warm in the afterlife, with customs including tomb sweeping and making winter clothing preparations.

Winter Solstice

Date: December 21-23rd (Gregorian calendar)

One of the 24 solar terms with the saying "Winter Solstice is as important as the New Year", celebrated with eating dumplings in northern China and tangyuan in southern China.

Laba Festival

Date: Lunar December 8th

Traditional festival featuring the consumption of Laba congee, a nutritious porridge made with various grains, beans, and dried fruits symbolizing harvest and good fortune.

Little New Year

Date: Lunar December 23rd or 24th

The day for honoring the Kitchen God with offerings of sticky candy to ensure he reports favorably to heaven, marking the official start of Lunar New Year preparations.

Chinese New Year's Eve

Date: Lunar December 30th

The final day of the lunar year, celebrated with family reunions for the New Year's Eve dinner, staying up late (shousui), putting up spring couplets, and setting off firecrackers to welcome the new year.