Some of the most famous Chinese festivals are Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat festival and Moon or Mid-Autumn festival.

Let me just give you a small overview about what each is about.

Let’

s start off with Chinese New Year. It is one of the most important festivals! The new years falls in between the months of January and February, of course it depends on the Lunar, or moon, calendar.

To prepare for this special occasion, houses are being cleaned thoroughly. Tangerine trees, Chinese paintings and calligraphy are sold in masses.

On the eve of the New Year you spend time with your family and friends where prayers are made. Then on the actual New Year you wear new 

shoes and new clothes to symbolize the New Year. You get small red packets containing money in them!

The days after, you spend time with your relatives and pray for good fortune, until the fifteenth day.

This is where the Lantern festival joins in. It lasts 3 days long. Good fortune, health and happiness are the main symbols on these lanterns. Many lanterns are also hung in homes.  Then after the Lantern festival, everything slowly settles down back to normal life.

Throughout the New Year, “lion” dances are performed. Being a “lion” dancer takes years of practice, as you have to have good coordination to dance the “lion”

.

But it is a spectacular event, which everyone must experience once in a lifetime!

The Dragon Boat Festival is held on the fifth day of the fifth moon, which is usually around June time. This day is to honour the Chinese port and patriot, Wut Yuan, as he drowned himself in the river. 

The local people threw food into the water so that the fish would not feed on his body. On this day boat races are held. The boats are long and decorated very colourful.  They are about 45 to 120 feet long.

The Moon festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Traditionally, family members get together with friends and eat moon cakes and pomeloes outside under the moon. You see many carrying brightly, coloured lanterns and some are lit on towers. Mid-Autumn trees are planted as well. Similarly to Chinese New Year, there are fire dragon dances. 

Hopefully these gave you a nice insight on their traditions!