China is the most populous country on earth. With nearly three times as many inhabitants as the entire European Union and a steadily growing economy, China is considered the economic engine of tomorrow, if not today.
Chinese history dates back thousands of years. After the Chinese Revolution of 1949, the government initially de-emphasized many age-old traditions, but today the ancient rituals and customs are still strong and very much alive.
Chinese holidays are a mix of ancient luni-solar celebrations and newer 20th century innovations. And believe it or not, Chinese holidays are still in flux. In 2008 for example, the 2500 year-old Qing Ming Festival was observed as an official national holiday, “the first time that a Chinese solar term festival has become a national holiday” in the history of the People’s Republic of China. (China’s 1st Qingming Festival holiday)
National Holidays
New Year’s Day (January 1)
Chinese New Year / Spring Festival (1st day of 1st month)
International Women’s Day (March 8)
Qing Ming Festival (April 4 or 5)
Labor Day (May 1)
Youth Day (May 4)
Dragon Boat Festival / Duan Wu (5th day of 5th month)
Children’s Day (June 1)
Army Day (August 1)
Mid-Autumn Festival (15th day of 8th month)
National Day (October 1-3)
Other Popular Holidays
Lantern Festival (15th day of 1st month)
Arbor Day / Tree-Planting Day (March 12)
Birthday of Chinese Communist Party (July 1)
Seventh Eve (7th day of 7th month)
Hungry Ghost Festival (15th day of 7th month)
Teachers’ Day (September 10)
Chongyang (9th day of 9th month)
Regional Holidays & Festivals
Zhuang Song Festival
Bai Third Moon Fair
Dai (Tai) Water sprinkling Festival
Tibetan New Year
Mongolian Nadam Fair
Yao Danu Festival
Yi Torch Festival
Miao New Year Festival
Dong Fire-Works Festival
Bouyei Dancing Party
Tujia, Hui, Dongxiang, Baoan Songfest
Moslem Corban Festival
Jing Singing Festival
Lisu Scimitar Rung Festival
Jingbo Dancing Festival
Other Holidays
Emulate Lei Feng Day (May 5)
Serf Emancipation Day? (Tibet, September 28)
China’s 7 public national holidays are New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year, Qing Ming Festival, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day.
Women’s Day, Children’s Day, Youth Day, and Army are national holidays for specific segments of the population.
