Joanna James
Xian boasts a diverse collection of traditional Chinese festivals that are sure to delight tourists from all over the world. Here are the top 10 traditional festivals you should witness.
It’s safe to say that this is the most important festival in China, and it is a festival celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy. During Chinese New Year, the city is decorated with red lanterns, and the streets are filled with parades, fireworks, and dragon dances. The highlight of the celebration is the reunion dinner, a traditional meal shared with family and friends on New Year's Eve.
The Snow and Ice Festival is a winter event that takes place in Tang Paradise Park, just twenty minutes from Grand Park Xian. The festival features a stunning display of ice sculptures, snow carvings, and various other winter activities. The sculptures are lit up at night, creating a magical winter wonderland, a must-see attraction for tourists staying at hotels in Xian, China, within close proximity to Tang Paradise Park.
A colourful event that takes place on the 15th day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, Lantern Festival features thousands of lanterns of all shapes and sizes, which are lit up at night, creating a stunning display of light and colour.
The Qingming Festival is a traditional Chinese festival that is also known as Tomb Sweeping Day. The festival is held in early April, and it is a time for families to visit the graves of their ancestors to pay respects. The festival also includes other activities like flying kites, planting trees, and savouring traditional Chinese food.
A traditional Chinese festival that is held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival features dragon boat races. The festival also features a variety of fun activities like eating zongzi, a traditional Chinese food made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, and drinking realgar wine, a traditional Chinese alcoholic beverage.
The Double Seventh Festival, also known as the Qixi Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. The festival is also known as Chinese Valentine's Day and is a time for couples to express their love for each other. The festival also offers activities like making and hanging paper lanterns.
This is a traditional Chinese festival held on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. Ghost Festival is a time for families to remember their ancestors and pay their respects. The festival also includes activities like lighting incense and burning paper offerings, believed to be sent to the ancestors in the afterlife.
Another fun Chinese festival celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the Double Ninth Festival is a time for families to climb mountains, drink chrysanthemum wine, and eat chongyang cake, a traditional Chinese pastry made of glutinous rice flour and fruits.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. The festival is a time for families to gather together and eat mooncakes, a Chinese delicacy filled with sweet bean paste or lotus seed paste. The festival also offers other activities like admiring the full moon and lighting lanterns.
This is the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year and is a time for families to gather together and celebrate the beginning of a new year. The day is celebrated with traditional Chinese activities like dragon and lion dances, fireworks, and family gatherings. The festival is also a time for families to exchange red envelopes filled with money, a classic Chinese New Year gift.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
