China is a country with many ethnic groups and a rich culture heritage .Of all the traditional festivals, perhaps the most popular ones are the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-autumn Festival. Besides, there are many important traditional festivals such as Ching Ming Festival, New Year’s Day, National Day. Now I will introduce the most popular festivals to you.
The Spring Festival
The Spring Festival, also know as the Lunar New Year, is the most important traditional festival in China, which takes place in late January or early February. The historical reason for beginning the year during cold weather is that it is the time between the “autumn harvest and winter storage” and “spring plowing and summer weeding”. In other words, this is the time for rest and relaxation after a year’s toil, and for celebration as well.
In addition to the practical reasons of having the Spring Festival during the cold months, a Chinese folklore offers another explanation. According to Chinese legends, a demon called Nian would torment people once a year during the winter. The people gathered to discuss how to deal with Nian. Some people suggested that the demon was afraid of the red color, flames and loud noises. So they put red couplets on their gates, set off firecrackers and beat gongs and drums to drive Nian away. Their ideas worked and Nian fled. Thus, the customs of celebrating the Spring Festival were born and passed down.
During the month of January or February, Chinese families clean their houses, set off firecrackers, post pictures of the Door God and couplets on their gates. On the eve of the Spring Festival, it is a folk custom to stay up late or all night to pray for peace and prosper—together banquet is usually a must for every Chinese family. The most popular food enjoyed by both the rich and poor is Jiaozi, or dumplings, which is supposed to bring good fortune.
On the first day of the New Year, everybody wears new clothes and greets relatives and friends with bows and gongxi, wishing each other the best during the New Year.
In recent years, the Spring Festival has become a public holiday. People usually have several free days for attending family dinners, traveling, going to the movies or concerts or just watching holiday special TV programmes.
The Lantern Festival
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is also an important traditional festival in China where various types of lanterns are exhibited. The lantern exhibition is a custom that has persisted throughout history. In recent years, the increase in living standards has led to various splendid lantern exhibition all over the country. Such occasions are colourful and present picture perfect scenes with the bright moon shining down on hundreds of colorful lanterns. In addition to lantern exhibitions, the Lantern Festival includes plays, firework displays, acrobatics and dances, which are all part of the celebration.
Traditionally, every family eats yuanxiao on the night of the Lantern Festival. Yuanxiao, a symbol of family unity, affection and happiness, is a glutinous, rice-flour dough stuffed with sweet stuffings such as sugar and bean paste. Therefore, the Lantern Festival is also called they Yuanxiao Festival.
The Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival，or the Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. This Festival is widely accepted as a day to commemorate Qu Yuan, China’s greatest poet of the Waring States Period. People respected Qu Yuan for his efforts to make State of Chu strong and prosperous and for his dedication to such ideals. However, he become frustrated with the status quo and ultimately committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River. On the day of Duanwu, the day of Quan Yuan’s death, people rushed from all over, rowing dragon boats on the river in an attempt to find his remains, which were thought to have drifted downstream never to be recovered. As part of the festival, people thrown rice-filled bamboo tubes into the river as an offering. During the Duanwu Festival, it is also a common practice to eat zongzi, which is a rice pudding wrapped up with reed leaves. The reed leaves give a special flavor to the food.
Commemoration of Qu Yuan during the Duanwu Festival shows his popularity as a poet and man who made great contribution to his motherland. In 1957, Qu Yuan was selected by the world Peace Council as one of the cultural figures to be memorized by the world .
The Mid-autumn Festival falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month because the eighth lunar month is mid-autumn and the fifteenth is the middle of that month. On that night the moon is supposed to be brighter and fuller than any other night. In China, a full moon is symbolic of family reunion, which is why that day is also known as the “Day of Reunion.”
In ancient china, the moon was considered by scholars as a symbol of brightness, purity, and goodness. Poets of the past wrote many beautiful odes to the moon. Not only was the moon an inspiration to writers but it was also a source of many myths and legends. The most popular myth was a story about a woman named Chang E who flew to the moon and lived in the Moon Palace with trees and flowers around. It is believed that she is now happy about the leisure and tranquility on the moon. But from time to time she is missing the earthly life.
During the festival, people eat the moon cake, which is made of wheat flour and sweet stuffings such as sugar and lotus seed powder. The festival is a time for families to gather to burn incense and eat fruits in addition to the moon cake. The cake is traditionally cut into pieces that equal the number of people in the family. While tradition abounds during this festival, the essence of this festival is the harmony and happiness of family life, which is something that can be understood by all.
Valentine's Festival
Valentine's Festival ，also know as the Double-Seventh day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. It is originated from the ancient legends ─Cowboy and the Weaver's story . According to the legend, Weaver is very talent, hand is very agile, able to weave beautiful clouds Jin, she married after the Cowboy put the brocade embroidery skills imparted to the villagers, and all the women rushed from all over, longing for the wisdom and knowledge for weaving . in addition to this,Their love touched magpies, they can see one time one year.
After the folk worship, generally half of the offerings for the Weaver and the rest that we can eat, most of food are seasonal food, such as dumplings, noodles and fruit oils. We called them "clever food" .many people also eat peanuts, fruits, tea and play the Qi Qiao game.
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班 级：08级旅游英语班
姓 名：李金昌
学 号：200876000318下载本文
