Zhong Kui: The Demon Slayer
The Chinese believe that death is not the end, that ghosts and spirits co-exists with human beings at all times, only noticed when they are disquiet, and need to be put to rest. It’s no surprise that the Chinese have many demon slaying deities. The god that has by far enjoyed the most popularity, and endured the test of time, is Zhong Kui.
Posted in Culture and tagged china, Chinese, culture, demon slayer, Dragon Boat Festival, Duan Wu, household god, Zhong Kui
5 Other Major Chinese Festivals Besides CNY
You may think that as Chinese New Year comes to an end, there isn’t much else you can comfortably tap into to enjoy until the next one. That is not the case. Chinese life, even in the 21st century, is closely connected to their traditional festivals, of which there is a full calendar all year round. Here are five more you can look forward to after Spring Festival.
Posted in Culture and tagged china, Chinese culture, Dragon Boat Festival, Duan Wu, festivals, Ghost Month, mid-autumn festival, Moon Festival, Qi Qiao, Qi Xi, Qing Ming, Tomb Sweeping Day, Valentine's Day, Zhong Qiu, Zhong Yuan
Duan Wu (Dragon Boat) Festival
Summer is here again, with Dragon Boat Festival to mark it. This year, instead of delivering my culture tweets, I’ve put together an article, so that people interested to look further can read more about it. After all, Dragon Boat Festival is China’s major traditional summer festival, and probably the second most well-known celebratory event after Spring Festival.
Posted in Culture and tagged calamus, china, Chinese, culture, dragon boat, Dragon Boat Festival, Duan Wu, festival, herbs, mugwort, summer, tradition
National Holidays in China
As we are enjoying our first bank holiday weekend of the year in England, eating hot cross buns, and looking forward to a four-day week ahead of us, I have been thinking about national holidays in China. Even If you are based in the West, you may increasingly have to deal with the Chinese calendar, as companies you work with suddenly shut up shop for “Tomb Sweeping” or “Double Nine”.
Posted in Culture and tagged china, Chinese, Chinese New Year, culture, Dragon Boat Festival, festival, Golden Week, May Day, Mid Autumn, Moon Festival, National Day, national holiday, public holiday, Qing Ming, Spring Festival, tomb sweeping