• Festival & Holidays

• Spring Festival

• Mid-Autumn Festival

• National Day

• New Year's Day

There are lots of traditional festivals and holidays in China. During these times, families get together and celebrate by eating and drinking. Besides the traditional Chinese holidays like Spring Festival, many young people now also celebrate western holidays like Christmas and Halloween.

There are 11 National Public Holidays in China:

Some Things to Note:

• Following the lunar calendar, Spring Festival usually falls in late January or early to mid February

• It is customary for people to "borrow" weekends to make a three-day holiday into a week-long holiday

• Offices and agencies in China follow the five-day week system

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Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, is the one of the most important holidays. Following the lunar calendar, Spring Festival usually falls in late January or early to mid February.

Chinese New Year is celebrated by Chinese people everywhere in China and overseas. Everyone buys new clothes, eats traditional food, and adults give children luck red envelopes containing money. All over China glows with colourful light displays. Many flower fairs, temple fairs and lantern shows are held during the Spring Festival.

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Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as the Moon Festival) falls in September, or on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. On this day, the moon is full and round; and to the Chinese, this symbolizes family reunion.

This was originally a harvest festival, and on this day people eat round "moon cakes." Legend says 14 th Century rebels planning to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty Emperor spread the call of revolt by hiding secret messages in cakes to escape detection. Today, moon cakes are filled with different ingredients including pork, eggs, lotus seeds, sugar, and red bean paste.

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National Day on October 1 marks the most important national festival. It was on this day in 1949 that the People's Republic of China was founded. During the celebrations, streets are lined with flowers and flags, and red lanterns are hung on the gates of shops and official buildings. The official reception and celebration are held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the country's capital.

A grand parade and elaborate fireworks display is held in Tian'an men Square every fifth or tenth year, with a massive parade and show.

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