4 Chinese Traditions You Should Experience

China is a great country with many century-old traditions that are still preserved to this day. Chinese people love, respect, and revere their culture. And it is no wonder — they have amazing cultural peculiarities that they proudly display to the world. Here are some traditions that you simply must take part in to really experience the magic of China.

4 Traditions of China to Experience

Duanwu festival

The dragon boat festival takes place after the summer solstice when the day is the longest. This festival is a cultural tradition of China from centuries. The most common activity that takes place during the festival is the eating of zongzi, the drinking of wine, and, of course, the racing dragon boats. The people go into the water on their dragon boats and race. They also pour Zongzi, or rice dumplings, into the water as part of the celebration.

Chinese Lantern Festival

One of the landmark celebrations of Chinese culture is the traditional lantern festival that takes place during the festive New Year celebrations. This festival takes place at the beginning of February as that is the time when, according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the new year begins. The festival sees the lightning of millions of lanterns in each home and on the streets of China.

These lanterns stay lit all throughout the night and have a special twist to them. Most lanterns traditionally have a piece of paper attached to them that has a riddle written on it. Any stranger can take the riddle and attempt to solve it. They give the answer to the owner of the lamp. If the answer is correct, the riddle solver receives a small gift from the owner of the lamp.

The Lion Dance

During the traditional New Year Festival, a traditional dance is done by a couple of people dressed as a huge lion. The dancers have the job to coordinate the pieces of the lion in a way that would make it look like it is whole. This is both amusing and entertaining to those watching the dance. The lion is an important symbol of Chinese culture. It stands for courage, valiance, strength, and regalness. The dance of the lion was traditionally done to drive away evil spirits and leave them behind in the passing year.

New Year Shopping

After the cleaning for the arriving new year, people go out shopping in China to buy anything from new furniture to food for the New Year table. The Chinese believe that the new year has to be welcomed with new items in the home that will bring new events and luck to the whole family.

The Chinese are people that love their culture, traditions, and customs. They spend a lot of time with family and really honor their elders and ancestors. Diving into the ancient Chinese customs will surely take you to a magical trip back in time.