| CHINESE
FESTIVALS
Holidays such as National Day and International Labour Day are fixed on the modern calendar, but most traditional festivals and events are determined by the lunar calendar, which means the date varies slightly from year to year.
January/February: The most important festival time is the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, which falls in late January or early February. Public buildings are festooned with coloured lights,  people from all over China travel to reunite with family and friends, debts are settled, and food is consumed. Lots of it.
April: On the 12th day of the third lunar month, in the beginning of April, the Chinese honour their deceased ancestors by observing Qingming, sometimes referred to as the "Grave-sweeping Day". It is much less impressive nowadays, as people are cremated instead of being buried. Qingming is a time for remembering ancestors, but also for revelling on a warm Spring day.
May/June: International Labour Day is a three-day public holiday. Following hot on its heels is Youth Day, a commemoration of the May 4th Movement of 1919, reflected by large editorials and government hoopla in the official press.
International Children's Day is celebrated in earnest on 1st June by letting classes out early and treating children to outings at public parks.
July/August: 1st July is the Anniversary of the Communist Party, which was founded in Shanghai in 1921. This means very little to the average citizen but plenty of fun for high-level Party members.
The fifth day of the fifth lunar month, usually late July, brings the Dragon Boat Festival, marked by dragon-boat races in many cities, sometimes involving teams from around the world. It commemorates the memory of Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), a poet in the days of the Kingdom of Chu, who, rather than submit to political pressure, drowned himself in the Miluo River, in Hunan. To prevent the fish from eating his body, the people threw glutinous rice cakes (zongzi) into the river. Nowadays, these zongzi are simply eaten to mark the occasion.
1st August is the anniversary of the People's Liberation Army. Inaugurated in 1927 and formerly marked by enormous parades, it is now celebrated mainly in the media.
September/October: The timing of the Mid-Autumn Festival again depends on when the moon reaches its fullest, usually around mid-September. The shops do great business in "moon cakes", pastries filled with gooey sesame paste, red-bean and walnut filling. Tang yuan, glutinous rice-flour balls with sweet fillings in sugar syrup, and yue bing, a cake baked specifically for this occasion, are also eaten. In the tradition of poets, this is the time to drink wine and toast the moon.
Late September is normally the time when Chinese communities celebrate the memory of Confucius.
1st October is the PRC's birthday, National Day, celebrated with a three-day public holiday. Government buildings, road intersections and hotels are decked out in lights, and flower arrangements and Sun Yatsen's portrait are displayed in Tiananmen Square. Tens of thousands turn out on the square for picture-taking and general merry-making.
November/December: November and December are quiet months in China, but Christmas is gaining momentum as a consumer celebration. Christian churches hold special services that draw thousands of spectators. In Beijing, for example, it is fashionable to exchange greeting cards and presents, while Santa Claus makes the odd shop appearance.
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