Our country is renowned for its celebrations. Here in China, we like to celebrate at various times during the year. Here are several of our favorite festivals at Next Step China!
Spring Festival
You may have heard about this festival referred to as Lunar New Year. It happens on the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar and lasts nearly half the month! This is the most treasured festival for most of us in China. We celebrate our family and do a lot of fun activities. It’s very similar to Christmas Day, for those of you in the U.S. or western countries. 
Festival Fact: Many words are taboo to use in conversations. These might include death, broken, killing, ghost, illness and sickness.
Lantern Festival
This festival is our first big feast after the Spring Festival and is held on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Every household eats yuanxiao–rice balls with various fillings–and watches the Chinese Lanterns parade down the streets. On this day, we celebrate the full moon and our families. 
Festival Fact: The lighting of lanterns is a tradition started during the Han Dynasty with the intent to popularize Buddhism. The emperors ordered that lanterns be lighted in the imperial palace as a sign of respect for Buddha.
Qingming Festival
This festival falls on April 4 or 5 and is known as the Pure Brightness Festival or Tomb-sweeping Day. The main activities that happen are tomb sweeping, going for a spring outing and flying kites. 
Festival Fact: Tomb sweeping is the most important activity of this festival because it’s a symbol for paying respect to the dead and remembering one’s heritage.
Dragon Boat Festival
This festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. Several legends are told about this festival, the most popular of which is Qu Yuan, the patriotic poet. This celebration is a chance for those in China to get healthy and rid themselves of disease. Some of our customs include eating zongzi (yum!), dragon boat racing and hanging mugwort leaves and calamus. 
Festival Fact: The Dragon Boat Festival has been held annually for more than 2,000 years.
Double Seventh Festival
This festival falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Makes sense, doesn’t it? It’s the equivalent of Valentine’s day in western countries. This day is most important to girls because of its romantic legends. Customs vary by region, but the most common custom is for girls to pray to Zhi Nu for skilled hands to sew. 
Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival, otherwise known as Moon Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. It’s the second biggest festival of the year. Families get together to eat moon cakes, offer sacrifice to the moon and send good thoughts to family members living abroad. 
Festival Fact: Mid-Autumn Festival is derived from a custom passed down from the ancient Chinese, who observed that the movement of the moon was somehow attached to the changing of the seasons.
Chongyang Festival
The Chongyang Festival happens on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. We get to eat Chongyang cake, go for a mountain hike with our families and friends, drink chrysanthemum wine and pay homage to chrysanthemums. 
Festival Fact: In China, nine is the number associated with Yang (the masculine).
Winter Solstice
The Winter Solstice takes place sometime between December 21-23. This date was regarded as the start of each new year during the Zhou and Qin dynasties. We call it the Small New Year and have more family reunions. (Do you see a pattern here with our love for families and festivals?) Dumplings are one of our favorite foods in northern China, while sticky puddings are more popular in the southern parts. 
Festival Fact: The Temple of Heaven in Beijing was constructed by emperors to worship heaven, one of the main ways that Winter Solstice was celebrated in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Laba Festival
Laba Festival takes place on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Though it once was a time to sacrifice to the ancestors and pray for a good harvest and good luck, it now is a fun time of Laba rice porridge eating! There are over 100 different ways to prepare this customary dish. Festival Fact: The Chinese have been eating Laba porridge as a custom for more than 1,000 years! 
So, there you have it. These are nine of our favorite festivals in China. Have you ever visited China during one of our celebrations? If so, what do you remember most about the festival? Tweet us your favorite!