Zhong Qiu (The Mid-Autumn)
Zhong Qiu means the mid-autumn, also called Moon Festival. The moon festival is the second most important festival in the traditional Chinese calendar and occurs on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. The autumn season in the Chinese calendar is the seventh, eighth and ninth months, with the fifteenth day being the middle day of a thirty day month. On the night of the fifteenth day the moon is thought to be brighter, fuller and more beautiful than at any other time, hence why the mid-autumn festival is also the moon festival.
The moon festival is celebrated in different ways in different parts of China, though it is most commonly celebrated by a family reunion dinner (in Chinese culture the full moon is a symbol of family reunion) where sweetened wine is drunk and lotus roots, water chestnuts and of course moon cakes eaten.
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This festival is from the one of the patriot from the ancient China. The misfortunes that Qu Yuan (340-278 BC) suffered drove him to take his own life, but also moved him to write some of the most beautiful poetry in the Chinese language. For his devotion to his State of Chu during the Warring States period, he has become an historic model of patriotism.
The State of Qin in the west was bent on annexing the other states, including the state of Chu, home of Qu Yuan (in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River valley to the south). Holding the the second highest office in the state, Qu Yuan urged that the Chu, to resist Qin, and ally with the State of Qi to the east . This was opposed by Zhangyi, a minister of the State of Qin who was trying to disrupt any anti-Qin alliances (see Two Traveling Diplomats). He seized upon an incident with a jealous court official in Chu to get rid of Qu Yuan.
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Another festival has been celebrated in China and the overseas Chinese people for thousand of years is Qing Ming. Although it is a day for paying respects to ancestors and the dead, it is also about life and family. Qing Ming comes at the start of spring, when the days are clear and bright – one possible origin of the name. This is a time when new vegetation is appearing – and very much as Easter associates new life in nature with the festival, so too does Qing Ming.
Qing Ming underpins Chinese family values
To understand this concept it is necessary to take a look at the fundamental belief systems of the Chinese people. For many thousands of years Chinese society has been organised on lines of respect for elders and the recognition of rights and responsibilities. Observance of respect to ancestors is in fact an integral part of this system, and is a natural extension to the respect paid to living people who are older than oneself. It is the obligation of descendants to show respect to their elders (in this case deceased), but equally, it is the responsibility of the living to teach the younger such values. So, although the festival has a focus on the dead, it is very much about the living, and of the family.
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Chinese New Year will come soon…
Well, I will introduce the chinese festival that have been have a long time history. Chinese New Year is the oldest and most important festival in China, also called Spring Festival. Like other Chinese Festivals, the date of the new year is detemined by the lunar calendar rather than Western Calendar, so the date of the holiday varies from late January to early February.
The Spring festival celebrates the earth coming back to life, and the start of ploughing and sowing. In the past, feudal rulers of dynasties placed great importance on this occasion, and ceremonies to usher in the season were performed.
Preparations for the New Year festival start during the last few days of the last moon. Houses are thoroughly cleaned, debts repaid, hair cut and new clothes bought. Doors are decorated with vertical scrolls of characters on red paper whose texts seek good luck and praise nature, this practice stemming from the hanging of peach-wood charms to keep away ghosts and evil spirits. In many homes incense is burned, and also in the temples as a mark of respect to ancestors.
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0 Comments Published February 9th, 2007 in Chinese FestivalNow we will learn some vocabulary about days, months, and seasons. Ok let’s we start from the Months, no specific words are used, just use the basic number and adding the month.
一月 ‘yi(1) yue(4)’ means ‘January’
二月 ‘er(4) yue(4)’ means ‘February’
三月 ‘san(1) yue(4)’ means
四月 ‘si(4) yue(4)’ means
五月 ‘wu(3) yue(4)’ means
六月 ‘liu(4) yue(4)’ means
七月 ‘qi(1) yue(4)’ means
八月 ‘ba(1) yue(4)’ means
九月 ‘jiu(3) yue(4)’ means
十月 ‘shi(2) yue(4)’ means
十一月 ‘shi(2) yi(1) yue(4)’ means
十二月 ‘shi(2) er(4) yue(4)’ means
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Now, we will learn some simple sentences in mandarin, for the first, I will make some questions and the answer, like for ask the how are you, years old, your address. Ok, let’s start:
你好吗? read ‘ni(2) hao(3) ma(1)’ means ‘how are you?’
我很好 read ‘wo(3) hen(2) hao(3)’ means ‘I’m fine’
你几岁? read ‘ni(3) ji(2) sui(4)’ means ‘how old are you?’
我二十岁 read ‘wo(3) er(4) shi(2) sui(4)’ means ‘I’m twenty years old’
你住在哪里? Read ‘ni(3) zhu(4) zai(4) na(2) li(3)’ means ‘Where do you live?’ Continue reading ‘Simple Sentences in Mandarin’
