2014 Chinese holiday

Now it is the beginning of 2014 year. Do you want to visit China? Or set up business with Chinese people? Also, are you going to buy from China? If yes, 2014 holidays in China will be helpful for you. What are the holidays in 2014 in China? When you plan to visit or order from China, you can keep away from these holidays, then the traffic and logistics will be better than holidays. Besides, if you like crowded, you can visit China in Chinese holidays.

 

Below are the Chinese holidays in 2014 year

1.       New Year Holiday: one day holiday on 1^st Jan.

2.       Spring Festival: 7 days holiday, one of the longest traditional holiday in China, from 31^st Jan to 6^th Feb. Most of Chinese will work on 26^th Jan (Sunday) and 8^th Feb (Saturday)

3.       Qingming Holiday: 3 days holiday. 5^th. Apr. to 7^th. Apr.

4.       Labors’holiday: 3 days holiday. From 1^st May to 3^rd May, and 4^th May (Sunday) work

5.       Dragon Boat holiday: 3 days holiday. From 2^nd Jun. and weekend.

6.       Mid Autumn holiday: 3 days holiday. From 8^th Sep and weekend.

7.       National holiday: 7 days holiday. From 1^st Oct. to 7^th Oct. And 28^th. Sep (Sunday) and 11^th Oct (Saturday) work. 

Moon cake

Mid-Autumn Festival, an important traditional Chinese festival. Do you know what is popular in this holiday? Yes, Moon cakes. In China, Moon cakes now not only a food eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but also a promotional gift for business. Many companies will send moon cakes by couriers or take by themselves to their customers. So what is Moon cake? Will you also try Moon Cakes?

Moon cakes, some people also called as Mooncakes, are Chinese pastries traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching; moon cakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy on this occasion. Before, Moon cakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival, one of the three most important Chinese festivals. Now, companies or factories also provide moon cakes to customers to promote business.

Typical moon cakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10cm in diameter and 4-5 cm thick. A thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Besides, moon cakes have been made with seeet of nuts, and so on. Moon cakes are rich, heavy and dense compared with most Western cakes and pastries. They are usually eatern in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea.

Most moon cakes consist of a thin tender skin enveloping a sweet, dense filling. The moon cake may contain one or more whole salted egg yolks in ites center to symbolize the full moon. Very rarely, moon cakes are also served steamed or fried.

Traditional moon cakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for “longevity” or “harmony” as well as the name of the bakery and the filling in the moon cake. And now, many moon cakes will have an imprint the brand of the producer.

Moon cakes are considered a delicacy, production is laber-intensive and few people make them at home. Most moon cakes are bought at Asian markets and bakeries. The price of mooncakes are different from different brands, usually from $10- $50.

Why did people eat moon cakes on Mid-Autumn day? Because in ancient, people use the circle cakes to send a mess in case the bad man found them.

In the 14^th century (AD 1280-1368) in the Yuan Dynasty of the Genhis Khan, moon cakes helped bring about a revolution. A Chinese rebel leader name Liu Fu Tong devised a plan to arouse the Chinese people to raise up against the ruling Mongols, to end the oppressive Yuan dynasty. He obtained permission from the Mongollian leaders to give gifts to friends as a symbolic gesture, to honor the longevity of the Mongolian Emperor. These gifts were round moon cakes. Liu’s Plan was to place a piece of paper the date of revolt inside each moon cake, to inform his flollowers when to rise up. The coup date was the fifteenth night of the eighth month.

When the people cut open the cakes and found the message, they set out on that appointed the day to overthrow the Mongols, thus ending the Yuan Dynasty.

Today, far from exotic and heroic deeds, Chinese communities all over the world make and eat moon cakes during the traditional Harvest Moon Festival to honor this tradition. 

Double Seventh Festival

The Double Seventh Festival, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, is a traditional festival full of romance. It often goes into August in the Gregorian calendar.

This festival is in mid-summer when the weather is warm and the grass and trees reveal their luxurious greens. At night when the sky is dotted with stars and people can see the Milky Way spanning from the north to the south. On each bank of it is a bright star, which see each other from afar. They are the Cowherd and Weaver Maid, and about them there is a beautiful love story passed down from generation to generation.

Long, long ago, there was an honest and kind-hearted fellow named Niu Lang (Cowhand). His parents died when he was a child. Later he was driven out of his home by his sister-in-law. So he lived by himself herding cattle and farming. One day, a fairy from heaven Zhi Nu (Weaver Maid) fell in love with him and came down secretly to earth and married him. The cowhand farmed in the field and the Weaver Maid wove at home. They lived a happy life and gave birth to a boy and a girl. Unfortunately, the God of Heaven soon found out the fact and ordered the Queen Mother of the Western Heavens to bring the Weaver Maid back. 

With the help of celestial cattle, the Cowhand flew to heaven with his son and daughter. At the time when he was about to catch up with his wife, the Queen Mother took off one of her gold hairpins and made a stroke. One billowy river appeared in front of the Cowhand. The Cowhand and Weaver Maid were separated on the two banks forever and could only feel their tears. Their loyalty to love touched magpies, so tens of thousands of magpies came to build a bridge for the Cowhand and Weaver Maid to meet each other. The Queen Mother was eventually moved and allowed them to meet each year on the 7th of the 7th lunar month. Hence their meeting date has been called "Qi Xi" (Double Seventh).

Scholars have shown the Double Seventh Festival originated from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD220). Historical documents from the Eastern Jin Dynasty(AD371-420) mention the festival, while records from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) depict the grand evening banquet of Emperor Taizong and his concubines. By theSong (960-1279) and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties, special articles for the "Qi Xi" were seen being sold on markets in the capital. The bustling markets demonstrated the significance of the festival. 

Today some traditional customs are still observed in rural areas of China, but have been weakened or diluted in urban cities. However, the legend of the Cowhand and Weaver Maidhas taken root in the hearts of the people. In recent years, in particular, urban youths have celebrated it as Valentine's Day in China. As a result, owners of flower shops, bars and stores are full of joy as they sell more commodities for love.

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.

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?

2013 Chinese Holidays

If you are going to visit China in 2013 year, then you may consider the dates. Some people prefer to visit China in Chinese holidays, because those days will be full of ambience of festivals. However, some people will like to go to China in common days. Why? During the holidays, the traffic is so busy, and there are many people everywhere. Therefore, below holidays in China in 2013 year will make your visit much easy.

 Holidays in China in Year 2013:

Date	Day	Name of Festival / Holiday
January – 01	Tuesday	New Year’s Day (元yuán旦dàn)
February –11 09	Saturday	Chinese New Year (春chūn节jié) - 3 Days Holiday
April – 04-06	Thursday	Qingming Festival (清qīng明míng节jié) - 3 Days Holiday
May – 01	Wednesday	Labor Day (劳láo动dòng节jié)
June – 12	Wednesday	Duanwu Festival (端duān午wǔ节jié)
September – 19	Thursday	Zhōngqiū Jié- Mid-Autumn Festival (中zhōng秋qiū节jié)
October – 01-03	Tuesday	National Day (国guó庆qìng节jié) – 3 Days Holiday

Besides above holidays in China, Chinese people also have some traditional festivals, such as Yuxiaojie ( 元yuán宵xiāo节jié), Xiazhi (夏xià至zhì),Chongyang Jie (重阳节), Dongzhi (冬dōng至zhì)，Xiaonian (小xiǎo年nián).