Is New Year's Day a traditional Chinese festival?

New Year’s Day is not a traditional Chinese holiday.

There are eight traditional Chinese festivals. In order of date, the lunar and Gregorian dates, customs and related poems of each traditional festival are excerpted as follows for your reference.

1. New Year's Eve - the 29th or 30th day of the twelfth lunar month (January 22nd in the Gregorian calendar). People often stay up all night on New Year's Eve, which is called "staying up all night". On New Year's Eve, not only must the home and outside be kept clean, but door gods, Spring couplets, New Year pictures, and door cages must be pasted, and people put on new clothes with festive colors and patterns. The poems describing New Year's Eve include:

"New Year's Eve"

Song Wen Tianxiang

The sky and the earth are empty, and the years are passing;

The storm is at the end, The poor side is full of snow and frost.

As time goes by, life is about to end, and the body and the world are forgotten;

There is no more killing of Su Meng, and the night is still young.

2. Spring Festival - the first day of the first lunar month (January 23 in the Gregorian calendar). The Spring Festival customs generally include eating rice cakes, dumplings, glutinous rice balls, large meatballs, whole fish, wine, apples, peanuts, melon seeds, candies, fragrant tea and delicacies; it is also accompanied by dusting, washing bedding, preparing new year's goods, pasting Spring Festival couplets, Put up New Year pictures (the door god Zhong Kui), make dumplings with paper-cuts, put up window grilles, put up blessing characters, light candles, light fires, set off firecrackers, give New Year money, pay New Year greetings, visit relatives, send New Year gifts, visit ancestral graves, visit the flower market, and have a party There are many other activities to enjoy as a family. The poems describing the Spring Festival include:

"Yuan Ri"

Song Dynasty Wang Anshi

With the sound of firecrackers, one year is gone, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu,

Thousands of households always exchange old talismans for new peaches.

3. Lantern Festival - the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (February 6th in the Gregorian calendar). The first lunar month is the first month of the lunar calendar, which the ancients called "Xiao", and the 15th is the first full-moon night of the year, so the 15th day of the first lunar month is called the Lantern Festival. Also known as Xiaozhengyue, Lantern Festival or Lantern Festival, it is the first important festival after the Spring Festival. China has a vast territory and a long history, so the customs of the Lantern Festival vary across the country. Among them, eating Lantern Festival, admiring lanterns, dragon dancing, lion dancing, etc. are some of the important folk customs of the Lantern Festival. The poems describing the Lantern Festival include:

"Lantern Festival"

Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty

On the Lantern Festival last year, the lights in the flower market were as bright as day.

The moon reaches the top of the willow trees, and people meet after dusk.

On the Lantern Festival this year, the moon and lights are still the same.

I can’t see the person from last year, and the sleeves of my spring shirt are wet with tears.

4. Qingming Festival - March 14th in the lunar calendar (April 4th in the Gregorian calendar). The customs of Qingming Festival are rich and interesting. In addition to banning fires and sweeping tombs, there are also a series of customary sports activities such as outing, swinging, kicking Cuju, playing polo, and planting willows. The poems describing the Qingming Festival include: "Qingming"

Du Mu of the Tang Dynasty

It rains heavily during the Qingming Festival, and pedestrians on the road want to die.

Ask where the restaurant is, the shepherd boy points to Xinghua Village.

5. Dragon Boat Festival - the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (June 23 in the Gregorian calendar). The activities of this day have gradually evolved into eating rice dumplings, racing dragon boats, hanging calamus, wormwood, mugwort leaves, atractylodes, and angelica, drinking realgar wine, tying baisuozi, making incense coins, pasting five poisons, pasting talismans, putting yellow tobacco seeds, Eat twelve reds. The poems describing the Dragon Boat Festival include:

"Dragon Boat Festival"

Tang Wenxiu

Who said the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival? It is rumored to be Qu Yuan throughout the ages;

It is ridiculous that the Chu River is empty, but it cannot wash away the injustice of the direct officials.

6. Qixi Festival - the seventh day of the seventh lunar month (August 23 in the Gregorian calendar). The Chinese Valentine's Day is the most romantic festival among our country's traditional festivals, and it was also the day that girls valued most in the past. On this night, women sewed needles and begged for skills, prayed for good fortune and longevity, and worshiped the Seventh Sister. The ceremony was pious and solemn, with flowers, fruits, and red flowers on display, and all kinds of furniture and utensils were exquisite, small, and attractive. The poems describing the Chinese Valentine's Day include:

"Chinese Valentine's Day"

Tang Luoyin

The stars and rivers are in the sky, and the family is laughing and having a red feast.

I should express my gratitude to my daughter and write all the beautiful pieces of Tan Lang in her jeweled case.

The incense tents are clustered in rows, and the golden needles are pierced to worship Chanjuan.

The copper pot fails to announce that the sky is about to dawn, and the melancholy good period is another year.

7. Mid-Autumn Festival - the 15th day of the eighth lunar month (September 30th in the Gregorian calendar). Worshiping the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival is a very ancient custom in our country. The custom of appreciating the moon comes from offering sacrifices to the moon, and serious sacrifices turn into relaxed joy. "Folk worshiping the moon" has become a symbol of people's desire for reunion, happiness and happiness, and they use the moon to express their feelings. Set up a large incense table and place mooncakes, watermelons, apples, dates, plums, grapes and other offerings. Mooncakes and watermelons are absolutely indispensable. The poems describing the Mid-Autumn Festival include:

"Looking at the Moon and Huaiyuan"

Zhang Jiuling of the Tang Dynasty

The bright moon rises on the sea, and the end of the world is at this time.

Lover complains about the distant night, but falls in love at night.

When the candle is extinguished, it is full of pity and light, and when I put on my clothes, I feel the dew.

I can’t bear to give it away, but I still have a good night’s sleep.

8. Double Ninth Festival - the ninth day of the ninth lunar month (October 23rd in the Gregorian calendar). There is a custom of climbing during the Double Ninth Festival. In the golden autumn of September, the sky is high and the air is crisp. Climbing high in this season and looking far away can achieve the purpose of feeling relaxed and happy, keeping fit and curing diseases. Related to climbing are customs such as appreciating chrysanthemums and composing poems, planting dogwood trees, and eating Double Ninth Festival cakes. The poems describing the Double Ninth Festival include:

"Remembering the Shandong Brothers on September 9th"

Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty

I am a stranger in a foreign land, and I miss you more every festive season. Dear,

I know from afar that when my brother climbs to a high place, there is one less person planting dogwood trees everywhere.

Note: The Gregorian calendar dates are based on 2012. Because traditional Chinese festivals are customarily calculated according to the lunar calendar, the Gregorian calendar dates will have some differences every year.