Chinese calendar

The dragon boat festival (端午节) will occur on the 14th of next month. The dragon boat festival is also called the double fifth festival (五月节）because it is held on the fifth day of the fifth month in the traditional Chinese calendar. Yet another name of the festival is Tuen Ng. This holiday is celebrated to commemorate the death of Qu yuan, an advisor in the court in the Chu dynasty. He lived during the warring states period. Legend has it that he killed himself in the Miluo river in Hunan province and became a spirit in the water. For many years, his supporters threw rice into the water to feed him but was always taken by the water dragon instead. For many years later, Qu yuan couldn't take it and came back to tell the people to wrap the rice leaves so the dragon couldn’t eat it. The rice wrapped in leaves became known as zongzi 粽子. Today, people celebrate by eating zongzi, drinking xionghuangjiu 雄黄酒, watching dragon boat races, eating with family, and hanging calamus and wormwood to ward off evil. Dragon boats are long boats with the head of a dragon and scales on its sides. These boats…

Even though there are many holidays being celebrated in China now, there are some important holidays that existed since centuries ago. Only now, their existence are fading and the meaning of them are no longer important. Besides learning about hanfu components, it's also interesting to learn about those holidays and what they mean in ancient China. Over the centuries, many Chinese holidays have slowly faded and lost their meaning in comparison to western holidays that are incorporated into Chinese calendar. While there are some Chinese holidays that spread overseas and are still celebrated, the meaning and feelings have long changed. Not only is the existence of holidays weakening, younger generations are also losing interest in them when it is more or less just a day off from work and school. For example, Chinese New Year. People in the past will be decorating their houses to get rid of the “bad luck” that gathered during the year to welcome the beginning of a new year. Families will also decorate their houses or buy new clothes in festive red colors. They will sit crowded around the table chattering and laughing over hotpots, bring gifts to visit relatives, or call them through phones…