2015 Chinese holidays

On Tuesday, Chinese state authorities released the official 2015 Chinese holiday schedule, which features seven-day holidays for both Spring Festival and National Day.

For many foreigners living and working in China, the holiday arrangement may seem random and uncoordinated, with days off and days on appearing to have been randomly placed throughout the calendar. So, we at Shanghaiist, being the kind people that we are, have compiled a list of next year's holidays, including the dates of their occurrence, additional holidays and any days that you may be expected to work to make up for them (see below).

New Year:

OFF: January 1-3 (Thu-Sat)
ON: January 4 (Sun)

Spring Festival:

OFF: February 18-24 (Wed-Tue)
ON: February 15 (Sun), February 28 (Sat)

Tomb-sweeping:

OFF: April 4-6 (Sat-Mon)

Labor day:

OFF: May 1-3 (Fri-Sun)

Dragon Boat Festival:

OFF: June 20-22 (Sat-Mon)

Mid-Autumn Festival:

OFF: September 27 (Sun)

National Day:

OFF: October 1-7 (Thu-Wed)
ON: October 10 (Sat)

Chinese National Day

The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a country. Often the National Day will be a national holiday.

The National Day is often taken as the date on which a state or territory achieved independence. Other dates such as the country's patron saint day or a significant historic date are sometimes used. Most countries have a single National Day per year, though a few, for example, India and Pakistan, have more than one. Besides that, each of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, namely Hong Kong and Macao, celebrate the day of the establishment of the special administrative region, as well as the National Day of the People's Republic of China.

Do you know how does Chinese National Day come?

October 1^st, 1949, anniversary of the founding of new china. It should be clear that, in many people's minds, held in October 1st 1949 in the people's Republic of China has one hundred thousand soldiers and civilians to participate in the founding ceremony in Tiananmen square in Beijing. In fact, the impression in people's minds is not accurate.

Since October 1, 1949, held the ceremony inTiananmen Square is the Central People's government the establishment ceremony, but was not the founding ceremony. In fact, the people's Republic of China "Founding", that is to say the people's Republic of China establishment, early in the year October 1st has been announced a week before. Was not called "founding ceremony," but referred to as the "Founding ceremony".

The time is September 21, 1949. This day, the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference Chairman Mao Zedong in the preparatory meeting of the first session of the CPPCC's opening statement has been declared the birth of new china.

How to return a responsibility th October 1st as National Day? At the first session of the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference of the first National Committee, Xu Guangping said: "Ma Xulun members can not leave, he asked me, the establishment of the people's Republic of China, there should be national day, so I hope this will be decided in October 1st as the national day."

Mao Zedong said "we should make a proposal, suggested to the government, decided by the government." In October 2, 1949, the Central People's government through the "on the national day of the people's Republic of China on the resolution", stipulated every year in October 1st as the national day, and to this day as the announcement of the people's Republic of China was founded.

Since then, every year on Oct. 1 to become the grand people of all nationalities to celebrate the festival.

Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Festival, also called Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar. For thousands of years, the festival has been marked by eating zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped to form a pyramid using bamboo or reed leaves) and racing dragon boats.

The festival is best known for its dragon-boat races, especially in the southern provinces where there are many rivers and lakes. This regatta commemorates the death of Qu Yuan , an honest minister who is said to have committed suicide by drowning himself in a river .Qu was a minister of the State of Chu situated in present-day Hunan and Hubei provinces, during the Warring States Period(475-221BC). He was upright, loyal and highly esteemed for his wise counsel that brought peace and prosperity to the state. However, when a dishonest and corrupt prince vilified Qu, he was disgraced and dismissed from office. Realizing that the country was now in the hands of evil and corrupt officials, Qu grabbed a large stone and leapt into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month. Nearby fishermen rushed over to try and save him but were unable to even recover his body. Thereafter, the state declined and was eventually conquered by the State of Qin.

The people of Chu who mourned the death of Qu threw rice into the river to feed his ghost every year on the fifth day of the fifth month. But one year, the spirit of Qu appeared and told the mourners that a reptile in the river had stolen the rice. The spirit then advised them to wrap the rice in silk and bind it with five different-colored threads before tossing it into the river.

During the Duanwu Festival, a glutinous rice pudding called zong zi is eaten to symbolize the rice offerings to Qu. Ingredients such as beans, lotus seeds, chestnuts, fat pork and the golden yolk of a salted duck egg are often added to the glutinous rice. The pudding is then wrapped with bamboo leaves, bound with a kind of raffia and boiled in salt water for hours.

The dragon-boat races symbolize the many attempts to rescue and recover Qu's body. A typical dragon boat ranges from 50-100 feet in length, with a beam of about 5.5 feet, accommodating two paddlers seated side by side.

A wooden dragon head is attached at the bow, and a dragon tail at the stern. A banner hoisted on a pole is also fastened at the stern and the hull is decorated with red, green and blue scales edged in gold. In the center of the boat is a canopied shrine behind which the drummers, gong beaters and cymbal players are seated to set the pace for the paddlers. There are also men positioned at the bow to set off firecrackers, toss rice into the water and pretend to be looking for Qu. All of the noise and pageantry creates an atmosphere of gaiety and excitement for the participants and spectators alike. The races are held among different clans, villages and organizations, and the winners are awarded medals, banners, jugs of wine and festive meals.

12 Valentine’s Day in all year

Valentine’s Day is one important holiday among lovers. Many people know that Valentine’s day is on February 14^th. Actually, there is Valentine’s Day every month; do you know all Valentine’s Day in all year? Besides the February 14^th’s Valentine’s Day, do you also hear about below Valentine’s days?

Jan. 14^th: diary day Valentine’s Day. On this Valentine’s Day lover will present their diaries to each other.

Feb. 14^th : St Valentine’s Day – the traditional Valentine’s Day, many lovers will prepare various gifts from markets or online shops for their lovers.

Mar. 14^th : White Valentine’s Day – the day for boys to give gifts back to girls

Apr. 14^th : black Valentine’s Day – bachelordom of noble people

May. 14^th Yellow and Rose Valentine’s Day – On that day, wear in yellow, and eat yellow Curry Rice, that means to everyone you are a single. Furthermore, on that day, if you give a red rose to somebody, means you love him or her; if a white rose, that means you are consider; however, if give a yellow rose, that means say goodbye.

Jun. 14^th : Kiss Valentine’s Day – Lovers kiss each other to tell their lover the love

Jul. 14^th: Silver Valentine’s Day – take her or him of your heart to your family, introduce to your father and mother

Aug. 14^th:　Green Valentine’s Day – go to a cool green forest with your lover in the hot summer

Sep. 14^th: Music and photo Valentine’s Day – a wonderful day to held social affair. Also, many sweethearts will take photos under this blue sunny day, so that is why call photo Valentine’s Day

Oct. 14^th : Wine Valentine’s Day - a Valentine’ Day to drink wine

Nov.14^th: Orange and Movie Valentine’s Day: On that day, lovebirds after two movies drink nice orange, so romantic.

Dec. 31^st : internet Valentine’s Day - to the memory of internet love.

What can we do on April Fool Day?

Apr. 1^st Fool Day is coming, will you celebrate with April Fool Day? Some people like April Fool Day, while some people hate it.

What can we do on April Fool Day? Learn More China think that we can celebrate with April Fool Day as other holidays on the base of not cause trouble. So how to celebrate the April Fool Day? Will Chinese people also like April Fool Day?

In China, some people also celebrate with April Fool Day. They will send some funny message, such as tell you are very nice at first, and in the end you will find the message is saying a nice pig. While some people will send some special greeting websites to play jokes with their friends. These two ways shall be accepted by most people, and most people will be happy and a little surprise when see it.

Besides, some people will have a crazy April Fool Day. For example, make the chair broken to their colleagues, take the salt instead of sugar… It is said that most people do not like to celebrate the Fool day in this crazy way, because it always cause trouble. How do you think it?

Spring Dragon Day on 2nd day of 2nd Lunar month

According to the folk legend, the 2nd day of the second lunar month is the day for the dragon king who is in charge of clouds and rains to raise his head. After that day, there will be more and more rain, so that day is also called Spring Dragon Day (春龙节). Most Chinese northern farmers believe that with the help of that day, all stores, big and small, will be full of grain. Every year when this day comes, those Chinese northern people will carry the lanterns, in the morning to fetch water from the wells and the rivers. They will light the candles, burn incense and play tribute to the dragon king. In the old times people called this "welcome the fields dragon（引田龙）" On that day, all the families will eat noodles or fried glutinous rice blocks, and pop corn to enjoy happiness.

Spring Dragon Festival

A popular fairy tale in the north of China can tell the origin of the day. When Wu Zetian (武则天), the empress, in the Tang Dynasty came into power, the Heaven God was so angry that he ordered the dragon kings to stop raining for 3 years. Soon after this, the dragon king who was in charge of the heaven river heard the bitter cries from the folk, saw many people starve to death. He was afraid that there would be no life in soon. Then he went against the Heaven God's order and gave the folk a heavy rain. Because of this, the dragon king was thrown into the folk world by the Heaven God and pressed under a large mountain. (There was a stone tablet on the mountain saying: The dragon king went against the Heaven God’s order because gave the rain, he can not return LingxiaoGe unless everywhere with gold beans.)

Then the people hurried to look for gold beans everywhere in order to save him from the pressure. On the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month the next year, when people were drying the corn seeds in the sun, they thought of the corn seeds as gold beans because when they were roasted, they would pop in blossom like gold beans. So all the families began to pop corn and burn incense and put gold beans on desks. When the dragon king raised his head, he knew the folk were trying to save him, so he shouted to the God, "Gold beans are in blossom, so let me out." After the Heaven God saw all gold beans in blossom in all families, he had to give his order to ask the dragon king to return to the heaven palace and go on with his job of making clouds and rains for the folk. Since then, it has been the folk custom to eat pop corn on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month. In fact, after the 2nd lunar month, since there will be more and more rain which marks the end of little-rain winter. This is a clear characteristic of the monsoon climate in North China.

Why Chinese have Lanterns on Lantern Festival?

On the 15^th of 1^st Lunar Month, it is the Lantern Festival. Do you know why people have Lantern and watch Festival on that day? As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), it had become a festival with great significance. Now, on Lantern Festival, the important activity is watching lanterns. Throughout the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), Buddhism flourished in China. One emperor heard that Buddhist monks would watch sarira, or remains from the cremation of Buddha’s body, and light lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, so he ordered to light lanterns in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to Buddha on this day. Later, the Buddhist rite developed into a grand festival among common people and its influence expanded from the Central Plains to all China.

Till today, the lantern festival is still held each year around the China. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung in the streets, attracting countless visitors. Children will hold self-made or bought lanterns to stroll with on the streets, extremely excited. Besides, some companies and governments will organize a fireworks party.

Lantern Festival

After the Spring Festival, there comes the Lantern Festival – on the Lunar Jan. 15^th, it is called as Yuanxiaojie (元(yuán)宵(xiāo)节(jié)), Chundengjie (春(chūn)灯(dēng)节(jié)), Xiaozhengyue (小(xiǎo)正(zhēng)月(yuè)), Yuanxi (元(yuán)夕(xī)), Dengjie (灯(dēng)节(jié)) in China. It is one of an important of traditional Chinese holidays. Do you know how did the Yuanxiao come? The first month of Lunar calendar called as Yuan Yue. And in the old days, Chinese people called the night as Xiao, and on 15^th, it is the first night of the round moon in the year, so people call Jan. 15^th of Lunar calendar as Yuanxiao Jie.

The culture of Lantern Festival in different places in China will be different. Generally speaking, eating sweet rice ball (吃(chī)元(yuán)宵(xiāo)), Guessing Lantern riddles (猜(cāi)灯(dēng)谜(mí)), watching fireworks (看(kàn)烟(yān)火(huǒ)) are the most popular to celebrate Latern Festival.

Sweet rice ball in China called as Yuanxiao, which is a special food for the Lantern Festival. It is said that Yuanxiao is named after a palace maid, Yuanxiao, of Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty. Yuanxiao is a kind of sweet dumpling, which is made with sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing. And the Festival is named after the famous dumpling. It is easy to cook – simply dump them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes – and eaten as a desert.

While guessing lantern riddles is an essential part of the Festival. Lantern owners write riddles on a piece of paper and post them on the Lanterns. If visitors have solutions to the riddles, they can pull the paper out and go to the lantern owners to check their answer. If they are right, they will get a little gift. As riddle guessing is interesting and full of wisdom, it has become popular among all social strata.

On the night of Lantern Festival, you will find many magnificent lanterns and fireworks. Most families spare some fireworks from the Spring Festival and let them off in the Lantern Festival. Some local governments will even organize a fireworks party. On the night when first full moon enters the New Year, people become really intoxicated by the imposing fireworks and bright moon in the sky.