Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is often called the Lunar New Year. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival.
In 2010, Chinese New Year falls on February 14, celebrating the Year of the Tiger. The Tiger is deemed the king of the animals.
The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Ancient Chinese New Year is a reflection on how the people behaved and what they believed in the most.
Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese New Year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is a great way to reconcile forgetting all grudges, and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.

Lantern Festival

February 28, 2010
The is a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar year in the Chinese calendar. It is not to be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also sometimes known as the "Lantern Festival" in locations such as Singapore, Malaysia. During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns. It officially ends the Chinese New Year.

Qingming Festival

April 5, 2010
The Qingming Festival (a.k.a Clear Bright Festival, Ancestors Day or Tomb Sweeping Day ) is a traditional Chinese festival on the 104th day after the winter solstice (or the 15th day from the Spring Equinox). The Qingming Festival is an opportunity for celebrants to remember and honour their ancestors at grave sites. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, joss paper accessories, and/or libation to the ancestors.

Dragon Boat Festival

June 16, 2010
Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional and statutory holiday associated with Chinese cultures, though it is celebrated in other East Asian and Southeast Asian societies as well. The festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar on which the Chinese calendar is based. The focus of the celebrations includes eating Zongzi, which are large rice wraps, drinking realgar wine, and racing dragon boats.

Qixi Festival

Qixi Festival, also known as Magpie Festival, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar; thus its name. It is sometimes called Chinese Valentine's Day circa late 1990s to 2000s.

Mid-Autumn Festival

September 22, 2010
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese, dating back over 3,000 years to moon worship in China's Shang Dynasty. The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which is usually around late September or early October in the Gregorian calendar. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are many different varieties.