Uncovering the secrets of china's 10 traditional festivals by eChineseLearning

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Contents 1. How Do Chinese People Celebrate the Spring Festival? 2. Top Three Activities for the Upcoming Chinese Lantern Festival 3. Chinese Culture: 二月二，龙抬头 Dragon Raising Its Head 4. Honoring the Dead on Tomb Sweeping Day 5.

The Delicious Tale Behind Dragon Boat Festival

6. China’s Valentines Day Surprise 7. Watch Out! The Ghosts Are Hungry 8. Mid-Autumn Festival: a Holiday for the Moon 9. Four Ways That Chinese People Honor the Double Ninth Festival 10. Everything You Need to Know About the Chinese Laba Festival

1. How Do Chinese People Celebrate the Spring Festival?

“春节(chūnjié)” Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most celebrated and grand festival in China. It falls on the first day of every January in the lunar calendar. “除夕(chú xī)” is Chinese New Year’s Eve, and the word means “ringing out the old year and ringing in the new.” There are three main activities during Spring Festival: having “团圆饭(tuányuán fàn) family reunion dinner” or “年夜饭(niányè fàn)”, the dinner on New Year’s evening; “祭祀(jìsì)” offering sacrifices to ancestors; and “守夜(shŏu yè) staying up”. You can taste all kinds of food for Chinese New Year including dumplings and rice cakes, which are very popular in southern China. When staying up, children can get “压岁钱(yāsuì qián) gift money” from their “长辈 (zhăngbèi) elders”, symbolizing well wishes for a safe year. Many people will also put up “春联(chūnlián) Spring Festival” couplets and New Year paintings on their doors and walls.

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“大年初一(dànián chūyī)”, the first day of Chinese New Year, is a time when families “拜年(bàinián)” visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents. Celebrations for Chinese New Year vary from place to place, but most will enjoy watching “舞龙舞狮(wǔlóng wǔshī) a dragon and lion dance troupe” and “放鞭炮(fàng biānpào) set off fireworks and firecrackers” as symbolic rituals to clear away bad spirits and usher in the Lunar New Year.

There are all kinds of Chinese New Year greetings, such as “新年好(xīnnián hăo) Happy New Year!” and “新年快乐(xīnnián kuàilè) Happy New Year!” There are also other common greetings such as “恭喜发财(gōngxǐ fācái),” which means “Wish you great prosperity!” and “新年吉祥(xīnnián jíxiáng),” which means “Good luck in the new year .” And now, WeChat message is a popular way for people to greet each other: Huānhuānxǐxǐ yíng xīnnián, wànshìrúyì píng’ān nián, 1. 欢欢喜喜迎新年，万事如意平安年， Welcome the New Year happily! All will be well in the safe year; yángméitǔqì shùnxīn nián, mèngxiăngchéngzhēn fācái nián, 扬眉吐气顺心年，梦想成真发财年， feel proud and happy in the satisfactory year; hope your dreams come true in the wealthy year;

Shìyè huīhuáng chénggōng nián, zhù jūn suìsuì yŏu hăo nián! 事业辉煌成功年，祝君岁岁有好年！ Wish you a brilliant career in the successful year. Wish you well in the years to come!

Xīnnián zhùfú nǐ, hăoyùn péizhe nǐ, 2. 新年祝福你，好运陪着你， Bless you in the new year with good luck accompanying you, cáishén gēnzhe nǐ, míngchē shǔyú nǐ, 财神跟着你，名车属于你， with wealth following you, a name brand car belonging to you, méiyùn duŏzhe nǐ, xǐshì wéirào nǐ. Wŏ ne shíshí bànzhe nǐ. 霉运躲着你，喜事围绕你。我呢时时伴着你。 misfortune avoiding you, and happy occasions around you. And for me, I will often accompany you.

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There are many beautiful songs for the holiday too. Some popular classic examples are “新年好(Xīnnián hăo) Happy New Year!” “欢乐中国年(Huānlè zhōngguó nián) Happy Chinese New Year,” “过新年(Guò xīnnián) Celebrations for Chinese New Year,” and “恭喜恭喜(Gōngxǐ gōngxǐ) Good Wishes to You.” If you want to learn more songs for Chinese New Year, please sign up for a free trial!

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2. Top Three Activities for the Upcoming Chinese Lantern Festival

“元宵节(yuánxiāojié) Lantern Festival” is several days after Spring Festival. Lantern Festival, which falls on January 15th of the lunar calendar, is another important tradition in China. On the night of the holiday, the streets are decorated with lanterns and festoons, and they’re filled with the sound of gongs and drums. Merry people come out into the streets carrying lanterns. There are a number of traditional activities that take place on Lantern Festival, such the lighting of lanterns, lantern riddles and the dragon-lion dance. Let’s have a closer look!

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赏花灯(shǎnghuādēng) “赏花灯(shǎnghuādēng) enjoying lanterns” during Lantern Festival is a custom which has carried on for about 2,000 years. In addition, lanterns symbolize brightness and the birth of a baby. Lighting a lantern means to illuminate the future. Lantern Festival is also a romantic festival. In ancient China, young ladies were not allowed to go out by themselves, however, they could go out to enjoy themselves with friends on festivals. For single young people, to enjoy lanterns on Lantern Festival serves as a perfect opportunity to meet new friends. And now, many public recreational places like parks and squares hold lantern-themed performances. A great variety of beautiful lanterns are put on display.

Examples Zhāng Líng: Yuánxiāojié chéngshì guǎngchǎng huì yǒu huādēngzhǎn, wǒmen y ìqǐ qù shǎng huādēng ba! 张玲：元宵节城市广场会有花灯展，我们一起去赏花灯吧！ Zhang Ling: There will be a lantern show in the City Square on Lantern Festival, let’s go and have a look!

Lǐ Míng: Hǎode, nàtiān kěndìng tèbié rènao. 李明：好的，那天肯定特别热闹。 Li Ming: OK. The celebrations must be very boisterous on that day.

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猜灯谜(cāidēngmí) “猜灯谜(cāidēngmí) guessing lantern riddles” is also called “打灯谜(dǎdēngmí)”. It is said that this custom originates from the Southern Song Dynasty (AD1127—1279). On the evening of the festival, lantern owners would write down riddles on a piece of paper or a wooden plate and hang them beneath colorful lanterns. If a visitor is able to solve the riddle, they can then pull the paper or wooden plate out and go to the lantern owners to check their answers. Since the riddles are both entertaining and instructive, they are popular with people of all types.

Example Zhāng Lì: Lǐ Huá, nǐ lái cāicāi zhège dēngmí. 张丽：李华，你来猜猜这个灯谜。 Zhang Li: Li Hua, come here to have a look at this riddle.

Lǐ Huá: Liǎngxiōngdi, shǒulāshǒu, yígè zhuàn, yígè liú. Dǎ yī wénjù yòngpǐn? 李华：两兄弟，手拉手，一个转，一个留。打一文具用品？ Li Hua: Two brothers, hand in hand, one turns round and another stands still. I guess it’s a kind of stationery?

Zhāng Lì: Cāidé chūlái shì shénme ma? 张

丽：猜得出来是什么吗？

Zhang Li: Do you know the answer?

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Lǐ Huá: Zhège hěn róngyì ya, shì yuánguī! Gěi nǐ cāi zhège, yìniánsìjì shì chūntiān, dǎ yī chéngshì míng. 李华：这个很容易呀，是圆规！给你猜这个，一年四季是春天，打一城市名。 Li Hua: A piece of cake! It is a compass! How about this one? It has spring for four seasons a year, guess the name of the city.

Zhāng Lì: En……wǒ háishì cāibùchūlái. Dá’àn shì shénme? 张丽：嗯…… 我还是猜不出来。答案是什么？ Zhang Li: Um…I still can’t find the answer, what is it?

Lǐ Huá: Shì Chángchūn. 李华：是长春。 Li Hua: It is Changchun. (The capital of Jilin Province in northeast China. In Chinese, one meaning of “ 长(cháng)” is “all the time” and “ 春(chūn)” is “spring”.)

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舞龙舞狮(wǔlóng wǔshī) “舞龙(wǔlóng), dragon dance”, also called “玩龙灯(wánlóngdēng) play dragon

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lantern”, is also a traditional activity during Lantern Festival. It is performed by a team of dancers who manipulate a long flexible figure of a dragon or using poles positioned at regular intervals along the length of the dragon. The dance team, led by a ball held by a dancer and in a sinuous, undulating manner, mimics the movements of the dragon. People believe that dragons can control the clouds and rain and bring them a good harvest in the coming year.

“ 舞狮(wǔshī)” is a similar dance in which the performers mimic a lion’s movements. Lions are a kind of auspicious animals to Chinese. The lion dance shows people’s hope to get rid of misfortunes and their desire for good luck and happiness.

Examples Lín Hóng: Wáng Méi, zuótiān yuánxiāojié nǐ qù nǎ’r wán le ya? 林红：王梅，昨天元宵节你去哪儿玩了呀？ Lin Hong: Wang Mei, how did you spend the Lantern Festival yesterday?

Wáng Méi: Wǒ hé nǎinai qù le zhōngyāng gōngyuán, hái kàndào le wǔlóng wǔshī de biáoyǎn, tèbié jīngcǎi o! 王梅：我和奶奶去了中央公园，还看到了舞龙舞狮的表演，特别精彩哦！ Wang Mei: I went to the Central Park with my Grandma and we watched the dragon-lion dance there. It was amazing!

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3. Chinese Culture: 二月二，龙抬头 Dragon Raising Its Head

In North China, there is a saying that goes "二月二，龙抬头(èr yuè èr, lóng tái tóu) The dragon raises its head on the second day of February." It signals the arrival of spring, the beginning of all life, and the start of farming season. It is also called "春龙节(Chūnlóngjié) Spring Dragon Festival."

There is a legend about the origin of this festival. Once, in ancient China, it didn't rain for a very long time. So, the Jade Emperor ordered the young dragon in the East Sea to make it rain. But the young dragon was busy playing in the water and wouldn't come out. A young man, after going through innumerable trials and hardships, eventually found a way to subdue the young dragon, and successfully got him out of the water so that he could make rain.

That's why people have coined this day "春龙节(Chūnlóngjié) Spring Dragon Festival."

Each year on this day, a lot of traditional activities are held in North China. The most popular one is "二月二，剃龙头(èr yuè èr, tì lóngtóu) getting a haircut." People think "剃头(tìtóu)" or "理发(lǐfà)" getting a hair cut on this day can bring them good luck. Therefore, this is the busiest day for barbers in northern China. Also, besides getting a haircut, people celebrate by eating traditional foods such as noodles, pancakes, fried cakes, popcorn and so on. Many of the foods eaten on this day are named after the "龙(lóng) dragon." For example, having pancakes is also known as "吃龙鳞(chī lónglín) having dragon scales," having noodles is also known as "扶龙须(fú lóngxū) holding dragon whiskers."

All in all, everyone wants the same thing: for everything to go smoothly in the upcoming year.

Key Learning Points: 1. 抬(tái): v. to lift/raise. "抬(tái)" is used as a verb that means to lift/raise in Chinese. It is also used to form the frequently-used phrase "抬爱(tái'ài) favor" and "抬杠(táigàng) to argue for the sake of arguing."

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Examples: Bié wán le, kuài lái bāng wǒ bǎ zhège tái qǐlái. 别玩了，快来帮我把这个抬起来。 Stop playing and help me lift this. Chéng méng jīnglǐ tái'ài, wǒ yídìng huì jìxù nǔlì de. 承蒙经理抬爱，我一定会继续努力的。 Thank you, sir. I will continue to work hard. Gēge zǒngshì xǐhuan hé wǒ táigàng. 哥哥总是喜欢和我抬杠。 My brother likes to argue with me for the sake of arguing.

2. 理发(lǐfà): v. to get a haircut. Example: Jīntiān shì èr yuè èr, wǒmen qù lǐfà ba. Dan: 今天是二月二，我们去理发吧。 Today is the 2nd of February. Let's get a haircut. Hǎo a. Jim:

好啊。 OK.

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4. Honoring the Dead on Tomb Sweeping Day “清明节(Qīngmíngjié) Tomb Sweeping Day” is celebrated fifteen days after the Spring Equinox and is one of the few Chinese holidays that

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Chinese calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms and “清明节(Qīngmíngjié) Tomb Sweeping Day” is the fifth solar term. Originating in the Zhou Dynasty with a history of more than 2,500 years, Tomb Sweeping Day is the most important sacred festival in China.

The main activities are “ 祭祖 (jìzǔ) ancestor worship” and “ 扫墓 (sǎomù) sweeping tombs.” People will worship their ancestors with food and flowers. “扫墓(sǎomù) sweeping tombs” is also referred to as “上坟(shàngfén) visiting tombs.” People usually take foods and fruits to the tombs as offerings. After burning a kind of play money for spirits, tidying up the tomb and putting willow branches around the gates and doors of the tomb to ward off evil spirits, people eat the food and fruits before returning to their homes.

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This holiday is important to the national identity of Chinese people. For instance, many people are probably aware that the “Yellow Emperor” is the common ancestor of the Chinese people. So on every Tomb Sweeping Day, many Chinese delegates at home and from abroad will pay their respects to the “Yellow Emperor.”

This festival is also an important time for outdoor leisure activities. You can see many people in China “踏青(tàqīng) going for a spring walk, “放风筝(fàng fēngzheng)” flying kites and “荡秋千(dàng qiūqiān) swinging.” It is believed that people should fast and only eat cold food on this day. In order to prevent the bad effects from the cold food, people will take part in different outdoor activities; enjoy the spring weather and the change of seasons.

Key Learning Points: 1. 放风筝(fàng fēngzhēng): v. to fly kites. The Chinese character “放(fàng)” means to release. “风(fēng)” means wind and “筝(zhēng)” means zither. “风筝(fēngzhēng)” means kite. Example: Guǎngchǎng shàng yǒu hěnduō rén zài fàng fēngzhēng. A: 广场上有很多人在放风筝。 There are so many people flying kites on the square.

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Wǒmen yě qù ba. B: 我们也去吧。 Let’s also go fly kites.

2. 荡秋千(dàng qiūqiān): v. to swing. The Chinese character “荡(dàng)” means to move. “秋(qiū)” means autumn and “千(qiān)” means thousand literally. “秋千(qiūqiān)” means swing.

Example: Wǒmen qù dàng qiūqiān ba. A: 我们去荡秋千吧。 Let’s go swinging.

Zǒu ba, yídìng hěn hǎo wán. B: 走吧，一定很好玩。 Ok, it will be fun.

To listen to the recordings, please go to http://www.echineselearning.com/blog/qingmingjie-tomb-sweepingday-intermediate-2

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生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary 清明节(Qīngmíngjié): n. Tomb Sweeping Day. 祭祖(jìzǔ): n. ancestor worship. 扫墓(sǎomù): v. to sweep tomb. 上坟(shàngfén): v. to visit tomb. 踏青(tàqīng): v. to go for a spring walk.

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5. The Delicious Tale Behind Dragon Boat Festival Dragon Boat Festival in Chinese is “端午节(Duānwǔ jié)”. It is on the fifth of May on the lunar calendar. There are many legends about this traditional festival and the most popular one is “屈原(Qū Yuán) Qu Yuan,” who was a Chinese scholar and minister to King Chu during the Warring States period. He was famous for his loyalty to the state.

It is said that on the fifth of May of the lunar calendar, “屈原(Qū Yuán) Qu Yuan,” who was banished by the king, killed himself by jumping into the Miluo River. After his death, one of his townsmen had a dream. He dreamed that “屈原(Qū Yuán) Qu Yuan” was thinner than before. So he and his villagers made “粽子 (zòngzi)” by wrapping glutinous rice with reed or bamboo leaves. Then they loaded the “粽子(zòngzi)” on dragon boat and dropped them into the river.

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Because dragon was in charge of all the animals in the sea, so they didn’t dare to eat “粽子(zòngzi).” So they figured that “屈原(Qū Yuán) Qu Yuan” could eat “粽子(zòngzi)” and get healthier.

Later on, people also say “dress like a ‘粽子(zòngzi),’ ” which refers to people who wrap themselves from head to foot, just like “粽子(zòngzi) !”

Wearing a Sachet during Dragon Boat Festival It’s widely known that people enjoy “粽子(zòngzi) rice dumplings” and “赛龙舟 (sài lóngzhōu) dragon-boat races” during Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, but amongst all the customs, the most elegant one is surely the making and adorning of a sachet.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the fifth month (aka Month of Poison) and fifth day on the lunar calendar marks the emergence of many poisonous insects. To ward them off, people hang wormwood, drink realgar wine, and “戴香包(dài xiāngbāo) wear a sachet.” The sachet, a small bag full of various spices, came about in ancient times when people used realgar and wormwood to repel insects.

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The sachet grew in popularity when it became symbolic of a woman’s great skill in selecting a variety of cloths and designs for making the sachets that were expected to protect and keep their children safe. Nowadays, vendors during the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival sell sachets just about everywhere. Likewise, customers buy them for the same reasons as they did long ago: in hopes for peace and happiness…and less bites from hungry pests.

A Chinese Ballad about the Dragon Boat Festival Táo’r hóng, 桃儿红， The peach is red.

Xìng’r huáng, 杏儿黄， The apricot is yellow.

Wǔyuè chūwǔ shì duānyáng. 五月初五是端阳。 May the fifth of the lunar calendar is the Dragon Boat Festival.

Zòngzi xiāng, 粽子香， The rice dumplings are delicious,

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Bāo wǔ liáng. 包五粮。 They include five grains.

Bāo gè zòngzi guǒshàng táng, 包个粽子裹上糖， Make a rice dumpling and add sugar to it.

Xìngfú shēnghuó wàn nián cháng. 幸福生活万年长！ The happy life will last forever.

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6. China’s Valentines Day Surprise The seventh day of the seventh month in lunar calendar is Chinese Valentine’s Day, called “七夕(qīxī) Qi Xi (literally The Night of Sevens)”. Girls on this day look at the stars to pray for a happy marriage.

Origin Chinese Valentine’s Day originated from a famous and beautiful love story. A young man named “牛郎(Niú Láng) Niu Lang” whose parents died early on lived with his brother. But his brother’s wife treated him badly. One day, he was pasturing his cattle on the hill, and a young lady named “织女(Zhī Nŭ) Zhi Nv” from heaven played in the river. So Niu Lang got to know Zhi Nv and they fell in love. Got Questions? Sign Up for a Live One-to-One FREE Trial Lesson Now! eChineseLearning.com All Rights Reserved. 21

Quickly, they got married, but the King and Queen of heaven learned what happened and forced them to separate, putting a galaxy between them. But their true love moved thousands of magpies to build a bridge every July 7 so that they could reunite.

Activities In China, people celebrate the festival differently in various regions. In China’s southwestern region, girls paint their fingernails, hoping for their Mr. Right. Women in Hunan and Zhejiang province wash their hair in order to gain the goddess’s protection. One famous activity is to eat “巧果(qiǎoguŏ)”.

The following are some popular activities done on Chinese Valentine’s Day. Which one do you like best?

双人游(shuāngrén yóu) tour for two Traveling is an attractive option for almost every festival, and Chinese Valentine's Day is no exception. Lovers can travel to some beautiful places, such as the popular Shangri-la hotel.

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Example: Wǒmen Qīxī zhǔnbèi qù ōuzhōu shuāng rén yóu. 我们七夕准备去欧洲双人游。 For Valentine's Day, we will do a couple's tour of Europe.

表白(biǎobái) confession of love Many Chinese people choose to “表白(biǎobái) confess" their true feelings on this special day. Telling someone you love them on this day makes it more significant.

Example: Tā zhōngyú xiàng xǐhuan hěn jiǔ de nǚhái biǎobái le. 他终于向喜欢很久的女孩表白了。 He finally confessed his love for the girl he has liked for a long time.

To listen to the recordings, please go to http://www.echineselearning.com/blog/celebrating-chinese-valentines-daybeginner

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生词 (shēngcí) Vocabulary: 情人节(Qíngrénjié): n. Chinese Valentine’s Day. 七夕(Qīxī): n. the seventh day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar. 牛郎(Niú Láng): n. a name of herd boy. 织女(Zhī Nǚ): n. a name of weaver girl. 巧果(Qiǎoguŏ): n. a kind of cake made of wheat and honey.

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7. Watch Out! The Ghosts Are Hungry The “饿鬼节(È Guĭ Jié) Hungry Ghost Festival” of Chinese Taoism is also the “盂兰节(Yúlán Jié) Ullambana Festival” of Buddhism, commonly called “Ghost Festival 鬼节(Guĭ Jié) Ghost Festival“ or “中元节(Zhōngyuán Jié) Mid-July Festival.” It falls on the fifteenth of every lunar July.

Origin: As the story goes, the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha’s (King of Hell’s) mother died and was subjected to all manner of torture. Because he could not bear to see his mother suffering so, on the fifteenth day of the 7th lunar month, he used his personal relationships and connections to free his mother’s ghost.

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Unfortunately, at the same time he freed his mother’s ghost, all the ghosts in the cell also surged out to disturb the human world. This is the origin of the saying, “On the fifteenth day of the 7th lunar month, the ghosts are released,” so now we call the day Zhong Yuan Festival, or Ghost Festival.

Activity- Floating river lanterns: On the day of the festival, the living will float river lanterns to remember those who have died. They use boards and colorful paper to make all kinds of lanterns, with candles burning in the middle. Businesses often work together to build a large paper boat, called a Da Fa Boat, to transport all the ghosts to their ideal place. At nightfall, people place the lanterns and boats on the river to see if they float. Whether the boats and lanterns float or not tells them the fate of their deceased relatives. If the lantern or boat swirls in the river, people think the spirit is caught; If it sinks, then the spirit is saved; if it floats far away or to the other shore, the ghost will become an immortal being. While these are certainly good things to wish for, the truth is that most Chinese people float river lanterns just for fun.

Commonly used idioms related to “鬼(guĭ) ghost”: 1. 神不知鬼不觉(shén bù zhī guĭ bù jué): in great secrecy; be mysterious without the spirits knowing about it.

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Example: Yídàn gănrăn dì èr dài bìngdú, nĭ de qián jiù huì shén bù zhī guĭ bù jué de bèi bìngdú chéngxù zhuăn dào tā suŏ jiànlì de qítā zhànghù shàng le. 一旦感染第二代病毒，你的钱就会神不知鬼不觉地被病毒程序转到它所建立的其他帐户上了。 Once infected, your money will be transferred to an additional account opened by the virus program without anybody knowing it.

2. 有钱能使鬼推磨(yŏu qián néng shĭ guĭ tuī mò): money makes the mare to go./money talks.

3. 鬼鬼祟祟(guĭguĭsuìsuì): slinky, surreptitious. Example： Tā guĭguĭsuìsuì de xiàng gōngyuán ménkŏu de nàgè mòshēngrén kào shàng qù, shìtú xiàng tā dōushòu tōu lái de jièzhi. 他鬼鬼祟祟地向公园门口的那个陌生人靠上去，试图向他兜售偷来的戒指。 He sidled up to the stranger in front of the park and tried to sell him the stolen ring.

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生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary 感染(gănrăn): v. infect. 病毒(bìngdú): n. virus. 程序(chéngxù): n. program. 账户(zhànghù): n. account.

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8. Mid-Autumn Festival: A Holiday for the Moon

The annual Mid-Autumn Festival, which is the second most popular festival in China. As those living and working away from their hometowns begin to miss their families, hoards of Chinese from every corner of the world head home for this holiday to celebrate and spend time with loved ones. How do Chinese people celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival?

Eating Moon Cakes A moon cake is a special Mid-Autumn Festival treat. On the day of the festival, people celebrate by eating moon cakes as a sacrificial offering to the moon. Moon cakes are round, symbolizing the reunion of a family.

Enjoying the Glorious Full Moon In Chinese culture, the full moon is a symbol of peace and prosperity for the whole family. Its roundness symbolizes wholeness and togetherness. In the middle of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar the moon is full, and eight is also a popular number in Chinese culture that symbolizes wealth and prosperity. As such, people believe this day to be very auspicious. For Chinese people, admiring the full moon with their families is a very happy occasion.

Telling the Legend of Chang’e As legend has it, a long time ago there were ten suns in the sky. They were burning up all the plants on the earth and forcing people to die. One day, a hero whose name was Hou Yi, used his bow and arrow to shoot down nine of the suns, thereby saving all of the people on the earth. As a reward, the queen of heaven gave Hou Yi a bottle of elixir that could make him immortal, but there was only enough elixir for one person. Though Hou Yi did want to become immortal, he wanted to stay with his beautiful wife Chang’e more. So, he held off on drinking the elixir and asked Chang’e to keep it for him.

Hou Yi’s fame continued to grow since he shot down the nine suns, and more and more men wanted Hou Yi to be their master. Most of these men were accepted by Hou Yi, however, not every one of his students had good morals.

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Feng Meng, one of his students, wanted to seize his elixir. One day, Hou Yi went hunting with his students, but Feng Meng pretended to be ill and stayed back. After making sure Hou Yi had gone, he went to Hou Yi’s house and tried to force Chang’e to give him the elixir. Chang’e knew she couldn’t defeat Feng Meng so she quickly drank the elixir herself. The elixir made her become immortal and she rose up into the sky, flying higher and higher until she finally stopped at the moon, where she spent the rest of her days.

From then on, people have prayed to Chang’e for good fortune and safety. It has become custom to offer her lots of delicious foods during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

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9. Four Ways That Chinese People Honor the Double Ninth Festival

For learners, one of the favorite aspects of living and studying in China is that they get to learn about and take part in holidays that are completely new and very exciting

for

them.

While

some Chinese holidays such as

New

Year,

the

Moon

Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival you may had known of before visiting China, there are also some lesser-known holidays such as the one that we will introduce today, “重阳节(Chóngyángjié) The Double Ninth Holiday”.

So, what exactly is “重阳节(Chóngyángjié) The Double Ninth Holiday” and what is the story behind it? As you may have guessed, “double ninth” refers to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month of the year, or September 9th to be more exact.

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The festival began between 500 and 200 B.C. during the Warring States period. According to classical Chinese philosophy, nine is a “yang” number and therefore 9/9 is a dangerous date that needs to be balanced out with certain activities. According to legend, there was a man named Huan Jing. He was a student of an immortal magician. Attempting to seek magical powers and immortality, the magician gave Huan Jing a list of activities which are still practiced today to overcome the “dangers” of the Double Ninth.

Four activities that I have been introduced to on the Double Ninth holiday include:

登高(Dēnggāo) Climbing mountains. Zài zhōngguó, chóngyángjié rénmen yǒu dēnggāo de xísú. 在中国，重阳节人们有登高的习俗. In China, people used to climb mountains on the Double Ninth Festival.

According to legend, Huan Jing and the immortal magician were hiking up a mountain when the magician told him of what he must do to kill the devil when the devil would appear on Double Ninth. Since then, mountain climbing has been a tradition on the Double Ninth holiday.

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赏菊(Shǎngjú) Enjoying chrysanthemum flowers.

喝菊花茶(hē júhuāchá) Drinking chrysanthemum tea. Júhuā zài qiūtiān kāifàng. 菊花在秋天开放。 Chrysanthemum flowers come out in autumn.

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Chrysanthemum is a flower sacred to East Asia and China and is believed to have healing qualities. Chrysanthemum-infused drinks are used on other occasions to cure sicknesses. Drinking chrysanthemum-infused tea and liquor is said to have medicinal affects that combat the dangers of the Double Ninth.

吃重阳糕 (Chī chóng yáng gāo) Eating Chongyang cakes. Another use of chrysanthemum on the Double Ninth is that these cakes are eaten for medicinal purposes. The shortened Chinese word for these cakes is Gao, a homonym of the Chinese word for high.

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Since climbing to escape the dangers of Double Ninth is part of tradition, and eating Chongyang cakes can substitute for a hike!

So, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month you now know what to do! Show your Chinese friends that you appreciate their culture and history by showing some interest in these events and this traditional holiday. If you don’t practice these traditions, who knows, you may unleash the “dangers” of Double Ninth. Be careful!

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10. Everything You Need to Know About the Chinese Laba Festival The “腊八节(Làbā jié) Laba Festival” is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar Chinese calendar. The custom first originated in the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279) and became popular in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911). It is said

that,

that

time,

Buddhism was well accepted in the areas inhabited by the Han Chinese, who believed that Sakyamuni, the first Buddha and founder of the religion, attained enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth month. Sutras were chanted in the temples and rice porridge with beans, nuts, and dried fruit were prepared for the Buddha. With the passing of time the custom extended, especially in rural areas where peasants would pray for a plentiful harvest in this way.

So how do people celebrate this festival? The answer lies in the eating of “腊八粥( Làbā zhōu) Laba rice porridge”.

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Eating porridge on the Laba Festival is a very old tradition. Since ancient times, Chinese people have attached great importance to growing crops, so when the land bears a good harvest after years of hard work, the farmers will show great appreciation by making sacrifices to their ancestors as well as heaven and earth. Boiling “腊八粥( Làbā zhōu) Laba porridge” is one way people celebrate their harvest.

“腊八粥(Làbā zhōu) Laba rice porridge” contains glutinous rice, red beans, millet, Chinese sorghum, peas, dried lotus seeds, red beans and some other ingredients, such as dried dates, chestnut meat, walnut meat, almonds, peanuts, etc. Actually eight key ingredients cooked with sugar to make the porridge tasty. Northerners prefer to use glutinous rice, red beans, dates, lotus seeds, dried long’an pulp, walnuts, pine nuts and other dried fruits in their porridge, while southerners like a salty porridge prepared with rice, soybeans, peanuts, broad beans, taro, water chestnuts, walnuts, vegetables and diced meat. In the north, it is a dessert with sugar added; in the south, salt is added in. Some people like to add cinnamon and other condiments to add flavor.

After hours of boiling, the porridge is offered as a sacrifice to the ancestors and is presented to friends before noon. Family members eat “腊八粥(Làbā zhōu) Laba porridge” together and leave some uneaten, symbolizing a good harvest next year.

In addition to “腊八粥(Làbā zhōu) Laba porridge”, many different types of pickled vegetables and special dishes are popular during the “腊八节(Làbā jié) Laba Festival”, including garlic pickled in vinegar and pickled Chinese cabbage.

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