Public holidays in China

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There are currently seven official public holidays on Mainland China. [1] [2] Each year's holidays are announced about one month before the start of the year by the General Office of the State Council. A notable feature of mainland Chinese holidays is that weekends are usually swapped with the weekdays next to the actual holiday to create a longer holiday period.

Contents

DateLength (without weekends) [1] English nameChinese name (Simplified)PinyinRemarks
1 January1 day New Year's Day 元旦 Yuándàn
1st day of 1st Lunisolar month4 days (Chinese New Year's Eve, 1st, 2nd and 3rd days of 1st Lunisolar month) [1] Spring Festival [a] (aka Chinese New Year) 春节 ChūnjiéUsually occurs in late January or early February. The most important holiday, celebrating the start of a new year
5 April (4 or 6 April in some years)1 day Tomb-Sweeping Day 清明节 Qīngmíng jiéOccurs about 15 days after the March Equinox; day for paying respect to one's ancestors
1 May2 days [1] Labour Day 劳动节 Láodòng jié International Workers' Day
5th day of 5th Lunisolar month1 day Dragon Boat Festival 端午节 Duānwǔ jiéUsually occurs in June; commemoration of the ancient poet Qu Yuan
15th day of 8th Lunisolar month1 day Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节 Zhōngqiū jiéUsually occurs in September; important autumn celebration of harvest and togetherness
1 October3 days [1] National Day 国庆节 Guóqìng jiéCommemorating the formal proclamation of the establishment of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949
Chinese National Day in 2004 at Beihai Park, Beijing National Day decorations - Beihai Park.JPG
Chinese National Day in 2004 at Beihai Park, Beijing

History

Festivals in China have been around since the Qin dynasty around 221–206 BC. During the more prosperous Tang dynasty from AD 618–907, festivals involved less sacrifice and mystery to more entertainment. [3] Culminating to the modern era Between the 1920s until around the 1970s, the Chinese began observing two sets of holidays, which were the traditional and what became "official", celebrating the accomplishments of the communist regime. [4] There was then a major reform in 2008, abolishing the Labour Day Golden Week and adding three traditional Chinese holidays (Qingming Festival, Duanwu Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival). [5] From at least 2000 until this reform, the Spring Festival public holiday began on New Year's Day itself. From 2008 to 2013 it was shifted back by one day to begin on Chinese New Year's Eve. In 2014, New Year's Eve became a working day again, which provoked hostile discussion by netizens and academics. [6] [7] However, since 2015, Chinese New Year's Eve is usually swapped with nearby weekends so that people need not work on Chinese New Year's Eve.

Overview

Holidays in China are complicated and are one of the least predictable among developing nations. In all these holidays, if the holiday lands on a weekend, the days will be reimbursed after the weekend.

The Chinese New Year and National Day holidays are three days long. The week-long holidays on May (Labor) Day and National Day began in 2000, as a measure to increase and encourage holiday spending. The resulting seven-day or eight-day (if Mid-Autumn Festival is near National Day) holidays are called "Golden Weeks" ( 黄金 周 ), and have become peak seasons for travel and tourism. In 2008, the Labor Day holiday was shortened to three days to reduce travel rushes to just twice a year, and instead, three traditional Chinese holidays were added.

Generally, if there is a three-day or four-day (if Mid-Autumn Festival is near National Day) holiday, the government will declare it to be a seven-day or eight-day holiday. However, citizens are required to work during a nearby weekend. Businesses and schools would then treat the affected Saturdays and Sundays as the weekdays that the weekend has been swapped with. Schedules are released late in the year prior and might change during the year.

The following is a graphical schematic of how the weekend shifting works.

Weekend shifting scheme (since 2014)

Spring Festival

Shift the Saturdays and Sundays nearby to make a 7-day holiday. People may need to work for 6 or 7 continuous days before or after the holiday.

National Day (not near Mid-Autumn Festival)

Shift the Saturdays and Sundays nearby to make a 7-day holiday. The holiday is from 1 to 7 October. People may need to work for 6 or 7 continuous days before or after the holiday.

New Year, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Labor Day (before 2020), Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival (not near National Day)

  • Wednesday: No weekend shifting. The holiday is only 1 day long. This is to prevent people from working for 7 continuous days since 2014. Sometimes shift the Sundays nearby to make a 4-day holiday. People may need to work for 6 continuous days after the holiday.
  • Tuesday or Thursday: Shift the Saturdays and Sundays nearby to make a 3-day holiday. People may need to work for 6 continuous days before or after the holiday.
  • Saturday or Sunday: The public holiday is transferred to Monday.

Labor Day (since 2020)

Shift the Saturdays or Sundays nearby to make a 5-day holiday. People may need to work for 6 consecutive days before or after the holiday. [8] [9]

Additional holidays for specific social groups

In addition to these holidays, applicable to the whole population, there are four official public holidays applicable to specific sections of the population:

DateEnglish nameChinese namePinyinApplicable to
8 March International Women's Day 国际 妇女 节 Guójì fùnǚ jiéWomen (half-day)
4 May Youth Day 青年 节 Qīngnián jiéYouth from the age of 14 to 28 (half-day)
1 June Children's Day 六 一 儿童 节 Liùyī értóng jiéChildren below the age of 14 (half-day)
1 August Army Day 建军 节 Jiàn jūn jiéMilitary personnel in active service (half-day)

The closeness of Labor Day and Youth Day resulted in an unexpectedly long break for schools in 2008 - the Youth Day half-holiday entitlement had been largely forgotten because it has been subsumed into the Golden Week.

Traditional holiday scheme

DateEnglish nameLocal namePinyinRemarks
1 January New Year 元旦 YuándànAlso the day of the establishment of the first Chinese Republic
1st day of 1st Lunisolar monthSpring Festival (Chinese New Year) 春节 ChūnjiéBased on Chinese calendar. Holidays last seamlessly, two full weeks, up to the Lantern Festival (see below).
15th day of 1st Lunisolar month Lantern Festival 元宵 节 Yuánxiāo jiéBased on Chinese calendar
2nd day of 2nd Lunisolar month Zhonghe Festival (Dragon Raising its Head) 中和 节 Zhōng hé jiéBased on Chinese calendar
8 March International Women's Day 国际 妇女 节 Guójì fùnǚ jié
12 March Arbor Day 植树 节 Zhíshù jiéAlso known as National Tree Planting Day ( 全民 义务 植树 日 ; Quánmín yìwù zhíshù rì)
5th Solar Term (usually 4–6 April) Qingming Festival (Chinese Memorial Day) 清明 节 Qīngmíng jiéBased on the Qingming solar term.
1 May Labour Day 劳动节 Láodòng jié International Workers' Day
4 May Youth Day 青年 节 Qīngnián jiéCommemorating the 1919 May Fourth Movement
1 June Children's Day 六 一 儿童 节 Liùyī értóng jié
5th day of 5th Lunisolar month Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwujie) 端午 节 Duānwǔ jiéBased on Chinese calendar
1 July Chinese Communist Party Founding Day 建党 节 Jiàndǎng jiéFormation of 1st National Congress in July 1921
11 July China National Maritime Day 中国 航海 日 Zhōngguó hánghǎi rìThe anniversary of Zheng He's first voyage
1 August People's Liberation Army Day 建军 节 Jiànjūn jiéAnniversary of the Nanchang Uprising on 1 August 1927
7th day of 7th Lunisolar month Double Seven Festival 七夕 QīxīThe Chinese Valentine's Day, based on Chinese calendar
15th day of 7th Lunisolar monthSpirit Festival (Ghost Festival) 中元 节 Zhōng yuán jiéBased on Chinese calendar
15th day of 8th Lunisolar month Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival) 中秋 节 Zhōngqiū jiéBased on Chinese calendar
3 September Victory over Japan Day 中国 人民 抗日战争 胜利 纪念日 Zhōngguó Rénmín Kàngrì Zhànzhēng Shènglì jìniàn rìHonoring the Allied victory over Japan and the end of the Second World War in the Pacific (new holiday established 2014)
30 September Martyrs' Day 烈士 纪念日 Lièshì jìniàn rìHonoring all the fallen of the country right before National Day, new holiday established in 2014 [10]
1 October National Day 国庆 节 Guóqìng jiéFounding of PRC on 1 October 1949
10 October Wuchang Uprising 武昌 起义 Wǔchāng QǐyìCommemoration of the anti-monarch uprising against the Qing which began the Xinhai Revolution
9th day of 9th Lunisolar month Chongyang Festival 重阳 节 Chóngyáng jiéBased on Chinese calendar.
13 December Nanking Massacre Memorial Day 南京大屠杀 死难 者 国家 公祭 日 Nánjīng dà túshā sǐnàn zhě guójiā gōngjì rìNew holiday established in 2014 to honor the thousands of Chinese lives lost during the events of the 1937 Nanking Massacre.

Ethnic minorities' holidays

There are public holidays celebrated by certain ethnic minorities in certain regions, which are decided by local governments. The following are holidays at the provincial level.

DateEnglish nameLocal nameChinese namePinyinEthnic groupsRemarks
1st day of Tibetan year Losar ལོ་གསར洛萨/藏历新年Luò sà / zànglì xīnniánTibetan7 days in Tibet
30.6 of Tibetan calendar Sho Dun ༄༅། ཞོ་སྟོན།雪顿节Xuě dùn jiéTibetan1 day in Tibet
1 Shawwal of Islamic calendar Eid ul-Fitr 开斋节/肉孜节Kāizhāi jié / ròu zī jié Hui, Uyghur and other Muslims2 days in Ningxia; 1 day in Xinjiang
10 Dhu al-Hijjah of Islamic calendar Eid al-Adha 古尔邦节Gǔ'ěrbāng jié Hui, Uyghur and other Muslims2 days in Ningxia; 3 days in Xinjiang
3rd day of the 3rd Lunisolar month Sam Nyied Sam Sam Nyied Sam三月三Sān Yuè Sān Zhuang 3 days in Guangxi

The following are traditional holidays at the prefectural level, and there are more at lower-level divisions, i.e. county-level.

DateCelebrating locationEnglish nameChinese namePinyinEthnic groupsRemarks
6th day of the 6th Lunisolar month Qiannan and Qianxinan Liuyueliu六月六Liù Yuè Liù Bouyei 1 day in Qiannan and Qianxinan
8th day of the 8th Lunisolar month Qiannan and Qianxinan Bayueba八月八Bā Yuè Bā Miao 1 day in Qiannan and Qianxinan
10th day of the 9th Lunisolar month Dehong 阿露窝罗节Ā Lù Wō Luó jié Achang 2 days in Dehong
1st day of Tibetan year Dêqên, Garzê, Gannan and Ngawa Losar 藏历新年Luò sà / zànglì xīnniánTibetan3 days in Dêqên, Garzê, Gannan and Ngawa
24th day of the 6th Lunisolar month Honghe 矻扎扎节Kū Zhā Zhā jié Hani 2 days in Honghe
24th day of the 6th Lunisolar month Chuxiong, Liangshan and Honghe Fire Festival火把节Huǒ Bǎ jié Yi 5 days in Chuxiong, Liangshan and 3 days in Honghe
20 September Nujiang 阔时节Kuò Shí jié Lisu 3 days in Nujiang
15th day of the 1st Lunisolar month Dehong Manau Festival 目瑙纵歌节Mùnǎo Zónggē jié Jingpo 2 days in Dehong
5th day of the 5th Lunisolar month Wenshan 闹兜阳Nào Dōuyáng Miao 3 days in Wenshan, often celebrated together with Dragon Boat Festival
13 April Dehong and Xishuangbanna Water-Sprinkling Festival or Songkran 泼水节Pō Shuǐ jié Dai 2 days in Dehong and Xishuangbanna
1st day of the 10th Lunisolar month Ngawa Qiang New Year羌历年Qiānglì Nián Qiang 5 days in Ngawa
15th to 22nd day of the 3rd Lunisolar month Dali Third Month Fair 三月街Sān Yuè Jiē Bai 7 days in Dali
3rd day of the 3rd Lunisolar month Wenshan Sam Nyied Sam 三月三Sān Yuè Sān Zhuang 3 days in Wenshan
1st day of the Yi Calendar, often falls in the 10th Lunisolar month Chuxiong and Liangshan Yi New Year彝族年Yízú Nián Yi 5 days in Chuxiong and Liangshan
1 Shawwal of Islamic calendar Linxia Eid ul-Fitr 开斋节Kāizhāi jié Hui 3 days in Linxia
10 Dhu al-Hijjah of Islamic calendar Linxia Eid al-Adha or Kurban Festival古尔邦节Gǔ'ěrbāng jié Hui 3 days in Linxia

In addition, the following autonomous prefectures celebrate their founding date (Chinese : 州 庆 纪念日 ; pinyin :Zhōuqìng JìNiàn Rì or 州庆日; Zhōuqìng Rì). Generally, the government takes one day off to all people working in such prefectures.

Celebrating locationDate
Chuxiong 15 April
Dali 22 November
Dehong 23 July
Dêqên 13 September
Enshi 19 August
Gannan 1 October
Garzê 24 November
Liangshan 1 October
Linxia 19 November
Ngawa 2 January
Nujiang 23 August
Qiandongnan 23 July
Qiannan 8 August
Qianxinan 1 May
Wenshan 1 April
Xiangxi 20 September
Xishuangbanna 23 January
Yanbian 3 September

Novel holidays

Some Chinese young adults have begun to celebrate 11 November as the Singles' Day (Chinese :光棍节; pinyin :guāng gùn jié) because of the many ones (1s) and many singles in the date. [11]

Serfs' Emancipation Day, celebrated on March 28, was established in Tibet in 2009.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The authorities always refer to "Chinese New Year" as 'Spring Festival' since they recognize the Gregorian calendar.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "国务院关于修改《全国年节及纪念日放假办法》的决定". 2024-11-10.
  2. ↑ "国务院关于修改《全国年节及纪念日放假办法》的决定". China.com.cn. 2016-05-13.
  3. ↑ "Traditional Chibese Festivals".
  4. ↑ "Chinese Festivals".
  5. ↑ Xinhuanet.com "Xinhuanet.com." How will people spend China's 1st Qingming Festival holiday?. Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
  6. ↑ Hite, Brittany (2013). "China's 2014 Holiday Schedule: Still Complicated". China Realtime. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  7. ↑ "China's revised 2014 holiday schedule sparks public ire". Reuters Shanghai. 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2014-01-02.[ dead link ]
  8. ↑ 国务院办公厅 (2019-11-21). "国务院办公厅关于2020年 部分节假日安排的通知（国办发明电〔2019〕16号）" (in Chinese). 中华人民共和国中央人民政府网. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  9. ↑ 国务院办公厅 (2023-10-25). "国务院办公厅关于2024年 部分节假日安排的通知（国办发明电〔2023〕7号）". 中华人民共和国中央人民政府网. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  10. ↑ "First national Martyrs' Day remembers those who sacrificed for China". South China Morning Post. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  11. ↑ "Thinking Chinese - A holiday invasion – Why are Chinese enthusiastically adopting new festive events?" . Retrieved August 29, 2012.
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