Mid-Autumn Festival

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Mid-Autumn Festival (Birthday of the Moon)

Type of Holiday: Calendar/Seasonal, Folkloric
Date of Observation: Full moon nearest September 15; fifteenth day of the eighth Chinese lunar month
Where Celebrated: China and throughout the Far East; in Asian communities all over the world
Symbols and Customs: Moon Cakes (Yueh Ping), Moon Hare, Moon Toad, Moon Viewing, Round Fruit
Related Holidays: Autumn Equinox

ORIGINS

The Chinese lunisolar calendar is based on the oldest system of time measurement still in use. It is widely
employed in Asian countries to set the dates of seasonal festivals. The CHINESE NEW YEAR takes plac
e on the new moon nearest to the point which is defined in the West as the fifteenth degree on the zodiac
al sign of Aquarius. Each of twelve months in the Chinese year is twenty-nine or thirty days long and is di
vided into two parts, each of which is two weeks long. The Chinese calendar, like all lunisolar systems, re
quires periodic adjustment to keep the lunar and solar cycles integrated; therefore, an intercalary month is
added when necessary.

The names of each of the twenty-four two-week periods sometimes correspond to seasonal festivals cele
brated during the period. Beginning with the New Year, which takes place in late January or early Februar
y, these periods are known by the following names: Spring Begins (New Year and LI CH'UN), the Rain W
ater, the Excited Insects, the VERNAL EQUINOX, the Clear and Bright (CHING MING ), the Grain Rains,
the Summer Begins, the Grain Fills, the Grain in Ear, the SUMMER SOLSTICE (DOUBLE FIFTH), the Sli
ght Heat, the Great Heat, the Autumn Begins, the Limit of Heat, the White Dew (MID-AUTUMN FESTIVA
L), the AUTUMN EQUINOX, the Cold Dew, the Hoar Frost Descends, the Winter Begins, the Little Snow,
the Heavy Snow, the WINTER SOLSTICE, the Little Cold, and the Great Cold.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the autumn season extends throughout the seventh, eighth, and
ninth months. This makes the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month the season's midpoint. From this poi
nt onward, the power of the sun begins to wane; the days grow shorter and cooler, and the nights grow lo
nger. According to the Gregorian calendar, mid-September marks the time when the full moon-commonly
called the Harvest Moon or Hunter's Moon-is at its lowest angle to the horizon, making it appear larger an
d brighter than usual. The Chinese celebrate the moon's birthday on this day, believing that it is the only n
ight of the year when the moon is perfectly round. The Mid-Autumn Festival is therefore a double feast-a t
ime for worshipping the moon goddess and for expressing gratitude for the harvest.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has been compared to the American THANKSGIVING , and there are some si
milarities. Family reunions are common, with family members often travelling long distances to be togethe
r. They feast, exchange gifts, and eat MOON CAKES . Many of these reunions take place out-of-doors in
the evening, where the size and brightness of the moon can be admired.

Village theatricals are a popular way of entertaining the gods on this day. They are usually held in open-
air theaters attached to temples, or in special sheds erected for the purpose. These temple-dramas are si
milar to the medieval miracle plays in Europe, which were performed on the porches of cathedrals. But th
ey tend to avoid religious messages and focus instead on plots taken from legend or history, or from epis
odes in famous novels. Other popular entertainments include lion dancers and stilt walkers.

The Mid-Autumn Festival continues for three days. The evenings are devoted to MOON VIEWING parties
, and the days are usually spent hiking and picnicking in the mountains. In addition to being a harvest festi
val and a celebration of the moon's birthday, it is also a festival of liberation, commemorating the day on
which the ancient Chinese people overthrew the Mongol overlords and brought Mongolia under Chinese r
ule (see MOON CAKES ).

SYMBOLS AND CUSTOMS

Moon Cakes (Yüeh Ping)

Made of grayish flour to resemble the color of the moon and often stacked in a pyramid thirteen-cakes hig
h to represent the thirteen months of the Chinese lunar year, moon cakes are the most distinctive offering
of the Mid-Autumn Festival. They are round like the moon and filled with melon seeds, cassia blossoms, o
range peel, walnuts, date paste, or smashed bean. They are sent from neighbor to neighbor and exchang
ed among friends during the festival. In cities, confectioners make moon cakes and donate them to the po
or. In rural villages, "moon cake societies" are formed to make sure that everyone has an adequate suppl
y of cakes when the festival arrives. While most moon cakes are only a few inches in diameter, imperial c
hefs have made them as large as several feet across, decorated with images of the moon palace, the cas
sia tree, or the rabbit (see MOON HARE ). Mid-Autumn Festival

Legend says that during the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), these cakes were used to convey secret instructi
ons to Chinese patriots concerning the overthrow of their Mongol rulers. There was a Mongol spy living in
every household, and the only way the Chinese people could communicate with each other was to conce
al their messages in moon cakes. Information about the time and place of the revolution was spread by hi
ding it on small squares of paper inside the moon cakes that were sent to friends and relatives during the
Mid-Autumn Festival in 1353. The midnight attack came as a complete surprise and hastened the dynasty
's downfall.

Today there are twenty to thirty varieties of moon cakes. Their roundness makes them a perfect symbol n
ot only for the moon, but also for family unity.

Moon Hare

In China, the association between the hare and the moon is very ancient. Shepherds or nomads who slep
t under the open sky would see figures outlined on the face of the moon and make up stories about how t
hey came to be there. The hare and the frog (see MOON TOAD ) are probably the best-known inhabitant
s of the moon, which Chinese mythology says is populated by both humans and animals. There is an old
superstition that the hare, who never closes her eyes, gives birth with her eyes fixed on the moon. How br
ightly the moon shines on the night of this festival determines how many hares will be born during the co
ming year.

Images of the Moon Hare appear everywhere during the Mid-Autumn Festival, usually in the form of small
clay statues. This legendary rabbit comes from an old Buddhist tale brought to China from India. The ani
mals of the forest were scrambling to prepare offerings to the Buddha, who had taken the form of a Brah
min (or saint) and asked for food and water. The rabbit, embarrassed by the meager collection of herbs a
nd grasses he'd managed to gather, caught sight of the cooking fire and leaped into it, offering himself to t
he Buddha but pausing first to remove any small creatures who had lodged in his fur. He was rewarded b
y having his image appear on the face of the moon where everyone could admire the example of his self-
sacrifice.

The moon is a symbol of longevity in Chinese mythology because it is the dwelling place of the immortals.
The Moon Hare is traditionally pictured under the Sacred Cassia Tree, pounding the Pill of Immortality wit
h his mortar and pestle. The cassia tree blooms just in time for the moon's birthday, and Chinese physicia
ns believe that its aromatic bark cures disease. Next to the hare is the woodcutter Wu Gang, who is doom
ed to continually chop down a cassia tree as punishment for a mistake he made while studying to become
an immortal. Every time the axe makes a cut, the tree miraculously heals itself and the cut closes up.

Moon Toad
The Moon Toad (or frog) comes from the legend of Chang E, the goddess who inhabits the moon and wh
o was changed into a three-legged toad because she found her husband's supply of the elixir of life and d
rank it all. When her misdeed was discovered, she fled to the moon, where she has lived ever since. Onc
e a month, on the fifteenth day, her husband leaves his palace on the sun and comes to visit her. This ex
plains why the moon is at its most beautiful on this day.

Just as the MOON HARE promises long life to those who are virtuous, the threelegged Moon Toad offers
wealth to those who please the Moon Queen. He is often depicted with a string of gold coins.

Moon Viewing

In Japan, the custom of tsukimi or "moon viewing" is observed at the same time as the Chinese Mid-
Autumn Festival. People set up a table facing the horizon where the moon will rise and place offerings on
the table for the spirit of the moon. These offerings might include a vase holding the seven grasses of aut
umn, cooked vegetables, and tsukimi dango or "moon-viewing dumplings" made of rice flour. Moon-
viewing festivals are particularly popular in Tokyo and in Kyoto, where people watch the moon from boats
with dragons on their bows.

Round Fruit

The fruits associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival include apples, pomegranates, honey peaches, crab a
pples, sour betel nuts, and grapes-round fruits whose shape symbolizes the fullness of the moon and fam
ily harmony. Pears are excluded-not only because they are not perfectly round, but because the word for
pear is li, which is pronounced the same as the word meaning "separation." On a day set aside for family
reunions, pears would be considered an unlucky offering.

Chinese women set up an altar in the courtyard with five round plates filled with the fruits listed above. In t
he center are MOON CAKES baked especially for the holiday, and nearby are red candles and bundles of
incense. Behind the family altar is a large paper scroll on which the MOON HARE appears, sitting under t
he Sacred Cassia Tree. Sometimes the scroll will show the MOON TOAD entangled in a string of coins. A
fter a brief service in honor of the Moon Queen at midnight, the festival meal is eaten outdoors under the f
ull moon.

Mid-Autumn Festival
The Moon Festival, also called the Mid-Autumn Festival or Mid-Autumn Day, is second in
importance only to the Spring Festival. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar
month when the moon is believed to be the fullest and roundest. Members of the family
gather together for a reunion dinner and to appreciate the moon while eating moon-cakes
of various flavors. It is also a festival for farmers to celebrate their harvest. With more than
3,000 years of history, there are different takes on the origin of this festival. Even the most
popular one, the story of Hou Yi and Chang E, has different versions.

The Legend of the Moon Festival

The Moon Festival legend about Hou Yi and Chang E is always told to children at this time.
Once upon a time, there were ten suns in the sky, scorching many crops and people to death.
The Emperor of Heaven summoned Hou Yi to shoot down nine of the suns. Hou Yi
succeeded, the weather soon recovered and life was saved. Hou Yi was rewarded with the
elixir of immortality. While Hou Yi was still on the Earth, he met Chang E, they fell in love
and were married.

Hou Yi wanted to spend his life with Chang E forever, so he went to the Western Queen
Mother to ask for the elixir of life. For the good deeds that Hou Yi had performed for the
Earth, the Western Queen Mother agreed to give him the elixir, sufficient for two people,
half each. Hou Yi returned home and told his wife. They decided to drink it together on the
15th day of the 8th lunar month when the moon was round and bright. But a wicked man
named Feng Meng overheard them and wanted the elixir for himself.

On the 15th day, before Hou Yi returned home from hunting, Feng Meng went to Hou Yi's
home and forced Chang E to give him the elixir. She knew that she could not defeat Feng
Meng so, with no other choice, she drank the elixir all by herself. When Hou Yi came back,
he found that his wife had been lifted to Heaven. Chang E decided to live on the Moon
because it's closest to the Earth. Hou Yi looked up at the moon and put the foods Chang E
used to love in the garden as a sacrifice. Thus, people started admiring the moon on this day.
Later, Chang E and Hou Yi came to represent the yin and yang respectively (the moon and
the sun).

Story of Moon-Cakes

Moon-cakes are eaten during the Moon Festival. Without moon-cakes, the festival is
considered incomplete. This round pastry can contain various ingredients in a thin crust.
Most of the flavors are sweet, with lotus seed paste or sweet bean paste in the center.

Once, according to a Chinese legend, moon cakes helped the start of a revolution. It
happened during the Yuan dynasty (AD 1280-1368) founded by Mongolians from the north.
It was said that a Han Chinese rebel leader, Liu Bo Wen, planned to arouse the Han Chinese
to rise up against the ruling Mongolians and end the Yuan dynasty. He gained permission to
give gifts to his friends in different bases. These gifts were round moon cakes. Liu asked his
subordinates to hide pieces of paper in the cakes with the date of the Han Chinese rebellion
(the 15th night of the 8th lunar month). Thus, Liu got word to his people who found the
revolutionary message when they cut open the moon cakes. They then set out together to
overthrow the Mongolians, thus ending the Yuan dynasty.
Nowadays, Chinese communities all over the world eat moon cakes during the Moon
Festival, such as the Chinatowns in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia and throughout the
world. Some countries like Vietnam and Singapore also celebrate this traditional festival.

Dragon Boat Festival

Introduction to the Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival - also called Double Fifth Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth
month of the lunar calendar. It is one of the most important Chinese festivals.

The Dragon Boat Festival has been celebrated for thousands of years to commemorate Qu
Yuan, a great patriotic poet who lived in the state of Chu during the Warring States period
(475 B.C. to 221B.C.). He drowned himself in the Miluo River in today's Hunan Province in
278 B.C. on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, hoping his death
would encourage the king to revitalize the kingdom. The tradition arose that on the day of his
death dragon boat races would be held and people should eat "zongzi" (glutinous rice
dumplings wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves).

Dragon Boat Races

Competing teams drive their colorful dragon boats forward to the rhythm of beating drums.
These exciting races were inspired by people's attempts to rescue Qu Yuan from the Miluo
River. This tradition has been handed down for centuries.
Zongzi

A very popular dish during the Dragon Boat Festival, Zongzi which mainly consist of
glutinous rice with other ingredients such as meat, peanuts, egg yolk, or other fillings
wrapped in bamboo leaves. The tradition of Zongzi is meant to remind us of the fishermen
who scattered rice into the water of the Miluo River to appease the river dragons so they
would not devour Qu Yuan.

Aicao (Wormwood)

Apart from the legend of Qu Yuan, the Dragon Boat Festival of the fifth lunar month is
significant in many places. Many Chinese people consider this time of year to be an
especially dangerous time when illness is common, thus extra efforts must be made to protect
their family. Families hang "Aicao" (wormwood) on their doors for protection. The drinking
of or rubbing with "realgar wine" is also thought to remove poisons from the body.

It is said that after Qu Yuan jumped into the Miluo River, people wanted to protect him from
being eaten by the Flood Dragon. First they scattered zongzi and salty eggs into the river.
Then an old man brought a bucket of realgar wine and poured it into the river to protect Qu
Yuan. Soon afterwards the Flood Dragon floated to the surface and people killed it.
There is a famous Chinese legend that is closely connected to the Dragon Boat Festival,
Aicao, and realgar wine. Once upon a time, two snake spirits lived on E-Mei Mountain,
White Snake and Green Snake. They magically transformed themselves into beautiful
women and went to the West Lake of Hang Zhou. There they met a man named Xu Xian.
The White Snake quickly fell in love with Xu Xian and soon they were married. A Buddhist
monk, named Fa Hai, warned Xu Xian that his wife was not a real human being and gave
him some suggestions. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival White Snake stayed at home
in order to avoid the Aicao hung on the doors of people's houses. Meanwhile, according to
Fa Hai's instruction, Xu Xian prepared some realgar wine. The White Snake drank a cup of
the wine and was turned back into a huge white snake.
 Traditional Celebration of Chinese New Year

Introduction to Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival, is the most important and widely
celebrated festival of all in China. It is celebrated from the 1st day of the 1st lunar month to
the 15th day of the 1st lunar month. The final (15th) day is called Lantern Festival, and the
night before the 1st day is called Chinese New Year's Eve (Chuxi in Chinese pinyin). This is
a time for family reunions, visiting relatives and friends and exchanging greetings for the
coming New Year. It is also a time to ring out the old and ring in the new. The Chinese New
Year can also be called "Guonian" which means the passing of the old year to the new one.
This festival emphasizes the importance of family ties. The dinner gathering of Chinese New
Year's Eve is the most important family occasion of the year.

The Origin of Chinese New Year

There are several versions for the origin of Chinese New Year. The most widely heard one is
that there was a mythical beast called "Nian" which means "year" in Chinese. Nian always
came on the first day of New Year to prey on livestock, crops, and even people. In order to
protect themselves, people started putting food in front of their doors at the beginning of
every New Year, as they believed that after Nian ate the food prepared for him, he wouldn't
eat any of their crops and people. Coincidentally, some people once saw that Nian was
scared away by the red clothes worn by a child so they concluded that Nian was afraid of the
color red. Therefore, in preparation for the New Year, people began to buy new red clothes
for themselves. Also, they hung red lanterns and red spring couplets on doors and windows.
They also lit firecrackers to scare Nian away. From then on, Nian never came back again.

This tradition has been handed down through generations. People still buy many red items in
preparation for the New Year: red clothes, red lanterns, red paper-cuttings, red spring
couplets, red fireworks and firecrackers, and all manner of red objects. So now you know
that people don't just feel the color red is exciting or festive, they have a reason to do that!

Symbolic Cuisines of Chinese New Year

On Chinese New Year's Eve, members of the family, big or small, near or far away, gather
for a "reunion dinner". The most common dishes for this dinner are chicken and fish. There
are many symbolic foods prepared for the New Year. For example, the fish, "yu" in Chinese
pinyin, signifies that there should always be surpluses. Commonly in northern China,
"Jiaozi" (dumplings) are made, symbolizing the luck that is wrapped inside. In eastern China,
"Nian gao" (Chinese New Year Pudding) is prepared, symbolizing a more prosperous year.
People also buy melon seeds, candy, and other seeds.
Common Practices of Chinese New Year
A few days before the New Year, every corner of the house must be swept and cleaned. This
is to wipe away the old and evil spirits. Then, on the eve of the New Year, decorations like
red paper-cuttings, lanterns, or spring couplets are put up. Written in black ink on large
vertical scrolls of red paper, spring couplets are put up on the sides of doors, windows, or
other gate-ways. The couplets are mainly short poems written in classical Chinese, which
express good wishes for the family in the coming New Year.

Red envelopes ("hongbao" in Chinese pinyin) are sold all around the markets and streets.
They are used to put money in and the money is called "ya sui qian", symbolizing the
warding off, or suppression of evil. Usually, adults or older people give red envelopes with
any amount of money (it can be 5 yuan or 100 yuan or more) to the juniors. On the cover of
the red envelopes, there are usually icons of what the year belongs to or some common
greetings like "xin nian kuai le" (Happy New Year) "ji xiang ru yi" (wish everything goes
well for you). Some people don't use any red envelopes; instead, they give money to the
younger directly.

Dragon dances and lion dances are very popular and common during the Chinese New Year.
From the 1st day of New Year to the 15th day, streets and homes are filled with dragon and
lion dances. They are formed by a group of people, some of whom manage the "dragon" and
the "lion", while some beat the drums. It is believed that the loud noise created by the drums,
along with the faces of the dragon and lion scare away evil spirits.

When the New Year celebration ends on the 15th day of the New Year, there comes the
Lantern Festival. On the evening of that day, in some places, people make lanterns and put
them into a main river and just let them flow with the currents. In other places, there are
lantern parades. People bring lanterns with them and walk on the streets. Young men may
highlight the parade with a dragon dance.
 What is Dongzhi Festival?
Dongzhi (冬至) literally means ‘Winter’s Arrival’. It is one of the 24 solar
terms of China’s traditional solar calendar. It has long been celebrated on
(China’s) Winter Solstice when the night is longest, and the day is shortest in
the Northern Hemisphere. Dongzhi became an imperially recognized
traditional festival during the Han Dynasty era (206 BC – 220 AD).
The Date of Dongzhi Festival
The date of Dongzhi varies slightly. It always falls on December 21, 22, or 23.

 Dongzhi in 2017, 2018, and 2019: December 22nd

 Dongzhi in 2020 and 2021: December 21st
 Dongzhi in 2022 and 2023: December 22nd
 Dongzhi in 2024: December 21st

How Chinese People Celebrate Dongzhi

Festival
Chinese people celebrate Dongzhi Festival in many ways. The most popular
ones are worshipping heaven and ancestors, saying the Nines of Winter,
making rice wine, and eating dumplings and ginger rice.
Worshipping Heaven
Chinese people have worshipped heaven on Dongzhi Day since the Han
Dynasty. Many temples were built for this reason, including the famous Temple
of Heaven in Beijing. It was believed that heaven worship would bring a great
harvest and good health for the coming year.
The Temple of Heaven was used to worship the Heaven

Worshipping Ancestors
It is a tradition to worship the ancestors as part of the Dongzhi Festival. People
set up incense burners in front of their ancestors’ tablets and place some food
on a table in front, such as dumplings, steamed chicken, or cooked pork as a
symbolic offering to their family ancestors. In some eastern parts of China,
people take food and incense to their ancestors’ tombs, sweep the tombs, and
pay respects to their ancestors during the winter solstice festival.
Worshipping Ancestors

Making Rice Wine

It is the tradition to drink rice wine on the night of Dongzhi in southern China.
The rice wine is made with glutinous rice or yellow rice as well as sweet-
scented osmanthus. Drinking liquor brings a feeling of warmth to the cold
Dongzhi festival.
Making Roasted Meat for Chinese New Year
People in the south of China usually preserve roasted meats at Dongzhi
Festival. Dongzhi baked pork has become an indispensable delicacy on the
dinner tables of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces during Chinese New Year.
Making and Eating Roasted Pork on Dongzhi Day

Counting the Nines of Winter (Shu Jiu)

In many areas of northern China, people count the Nines of Winter during the
coldest part of winter. The Nines of Winter is a folk song. In Chinese traditional
culture, nine is the ‘extreme number’, representing eternity. Chinese people
believed that spring will come after nine periods of nine days starting from the
Winter Solstice.
The Nines of Winter song goes like this:
‘During the first and second nine days, it’s too cold to put your hands in the air;
During the third and fourth nine days, you can walk on ice;
During the fifth and sixth nine days, willows on the banks start to sprout;
During the seventh nine days ice will dissolve;
During the eighth nine days, wild geese fly back north;
During the last nine days, farmers’ oxen start to work in the fields.’
The song charts the changes in the weather and natural world that come
before the time for farming to begin again.
Traditional Foods of Dongzhi Festival
Dumplings-Northern China Food
In northern China where it can get bitterly cold, the people lacked sufficient
warm clothing and adequate heating, so they ate hot food and drank hot
liquids to stay warm. People believed that when the days were short, there
was insufficient Yang energy, and they tried to eat high Yang foods according to
Chinese medicinal cuisine principals.
Dumplings have been the most traditional food in the north of China for a long
time. People make dumplings on Dongzhi Day with their friends and family.
Dumplings

There is an old saying that eating dumplings on Dongzhi can protect ears from
frostbite. A legend goes that in ancient times, a doctor named Zhang Zhongjing
invented dumplings by wrapping mutton and Chinese medicine in dumpling
dough and gave them to people to cure frostbite. From that time, the tradition
of eating dumplings on Winter Solstice Day was passed down from generation
to generation.
Tangyuan-Southern China Food
Besides dumplings, people of south China have a tradition of eating glutinous
rice balls called tangyuan. The history of eating tangyuan can be dated back to
the Song Dynasty (960–1279).
Tangyuan means family reunion

Some people in southern China and some Chinese in communities in Southeast

Asia gather together to make and eat a meal of tangyuan (汤圆 Tāngyuán
/tung-ywen/). Tangyuan symbolizes family unity and prosperity.
These are specially cooked balls of rice that might have a filling of bean paste
or meat with sweet high yang herbs. These are usually pink or white colored.
Tangyuan is often served in a bowl with a sweet soup or broth.
With their meal of tangyuan, they may also drink a mild rice wine that might
contain cassia oil. Cassia is an herb that is high in yang and is one of
China's Top 10 Favorite Herbs and Spices.
Wonton Soup-Eastern China Food
Wonton soup is another must-eat food for the Dongzhi festival in eastern parts
of China, especially in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. Stuffings of wontons are
much the same as dumplings’.
Dongzhi Festival foods: dumplings and tangyuan

However, wonton dough is much thinner than dumplings’. Eating a bowl of

wonton soup can keep people warm and comfortable in the cold of winter.
Mutton Soup-Western and Northern China Food
In northern parts of China, mutton is a popular food at Dongzhi Festival. In
Chinese food culture, mutton is regarded as having significant blood
replenishment benefits and is therefore considered a healthy food to eat in
winter. Eating mutton on Dongzhi Day warms people up and is said to prevent
colds in the coming winter.
Eating Mutton Soup at Dongzhi Festival

Taiwanese Customs and Food

For many Taiwanese and people of Taiwanese descent in other countries, the
festival is still important. Families will go to the ancestral tombs and have
meals of tangyuan, and they might offer tangyuan to the spirits at the tombs.
They also have a custom of offering nine-layer cakes to their ancestors. The
cakes are made of rice flour and are shaped like animals such as chickens,
ducks, tortoises, pigs, cows, and sheep.
According to traditional Chinese medical concepts, winter is the time of year it
is important to rest, relax and nourish the body with high yang fatty foods.
Chinese follow the behavior of animals that hibernate during winter to
rejuvenate and preserve their bodies. So they rest on the day if they can, eat
foods containing ginger, and enjoy ginseng and similar high yang herbs that can
restore and relax the nerves and alleviate stress.
See more about Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Dongzhi Festival History
China’s Winter Solstice has been celebrated since the Han Dynasty (206 BC –
220 AD). It is said that the earliest winter solstice in China was discovered by a
sage called Zhou Feng when using a sundial. Since then, Winter Solstice
(Dongzhi) has been an important festival in China. There is an old saying that
Dongzhi is more important than Chinese New Year.
During the Tang Dynasty (618–907) and Song Dynasty (960–1279) eras,
officials in the government were granted a 7-day holiday to go back home to
celebrate the festival with their family and worship heaven and their ancestors.
Dongzhi Festival Greetings
People say ‘Happy Dongzhi Festival’, i.e. ‘Happy Winter Solstice’ when they
meet on Dongzhi Day. In Mandarin, this is “Dongzhi kuaile” (/dong-jrr kwhy-
luh/ 冬至快乐).
If you want to send a message to your friends, you could use these popular
Dongzhi Festival messages:
1. “冬至快乐，祝你身体健康!” (Dongzhi kuaile, zhu ni shenti jiankang)
— “Happy Dongzhi! Wishing you good health!”
2. “冬至快乐，冬天注意保暖!” (Dongzhi kuaile, zhu ni shenti jiankang)
— “Happy Winter Solstice, and keep warm in winter.”
Dongzhi Festival Clothing
There are no clothing traditions for Dongzhi Festival. But nowadays, more and
more young people wear Hanfu (Han-Dynasty-style costumes) to celebrate the
Winter Solstice in China because Dongzhi originated during the Han Dynasty
era. If you are out on the streets on the night of Dongzhi Festival, you may see
some beautiful Hanfu clothes on young women.