Traditional holidays come back
| By Shang Zuo Prior to 2008, China had 10 national holidays, including one day for New Year, and three days each for Lunar New Year and Labor Day, and a National Day. China has some peculiar arrangement of these holidays. Adjacent weekends are often changed to work days, so people can have a whole week of vacation. For example, if Oct. 1 is on Monday, people will work on Sept. 29 and 30, the weekend before National Day, and back to work on Oct. 8. This seven-day vacation is called "Golden Week." Golden Weeks were started in 1997, the year of the Asian Financial Crisis. During the crisis, the demand from the international market was dampened. The economy had to put more weight on domestic consumption. The idea behind Golden Weeks was to encourage people to travel, shop and spend. It has been successful. Even merchants in Southeast Asia and Europe, which are popular overseas travel destinations, know about Golden Weeks and have special programs for them. However, Golden Weeks may have been too successful. The most recent sent 90 million people out traveling. But people soon lost interest in traveling, because all the parks were crowded and no one could really enjoy. Businesses made good money but were stressed out. This year, China will change the holiday schedule. The government reduced Labor Day to one-day holiday, but made three traditional holidays national holidays: Qing Ming, Duan Wu, and Mid-Autumn. The Chinese calendar has 24 special days with Solar Terms. Qing Ming, which literally means "clear and bright," is one of them. It's the day to tend ancestral graves. Mid-Autumn festival is on the second full moon of autumn. It's the day to spend time with your family, enjoy moon cakes and the moonlight. Mid-Autumn is a very important day, a symbol of family values. Even before, many companies gave employees a half-day off work on this day. The origin of Duan Wu is complex. It is a memorial to Qu Yuan (340-278 B.C.) who lived in the Kingdom of Chu. At that time, there were seven kingdoms in the known civilized world. Chu was one of them. It was the time of Warring States. These kingdoms often formed short-lived allies to fight against each other. The balance of power continuously shifted among them. A kingdom became strong when an ambitious and wise king appeared, and often fell behind if its rulers became corrupt and resistant to change. Qu Yuan was an aristocrat and close advisor of Chu King. During his time, the Kingdom of Qin had emerged as a super power. Many conflicts occurred between Qin and the other six kingdoms. Qu Yuan believed Chu should form an alliance with other kingdoms to defend itself. But Chu King was manipulated by Qin's persuasive diplomats and short-sighted officials in his kingdom. Instead of adopting Qu Yuan's advice, the king sent him into exile twice. Qin's scheme worked out smoothly. It conquered Chu. On the day Qu Yuan heard that the Chu Capital had fallen, he walked to the riverside. There, according to legend, he met a fisherman. The fisherman inquired why he was so sad. Qu Yuan responded, "In the drunken world I am the only one conscious, so that I'm anguished." He drowned himself in the river. (*) Qu Yuan’s story offers a moral lesson in Chinese culture. He was a wise and noble man dedicated to his people and country. He was also a great poet, actually the first noted poet in Chinese history. Before him, poems were written by anonymous persons. Other than the three holidays earlier mentioned, another important traditional holiday is Lantern Festival. It features lantern puzzles, and food called Yuan Xiao. It's only 15 days following New Year; so that may be the reason it wasn't made a national holiday. The beginning of the year always features a lot of holidays. This year, the Chinese will have one less Golden Week but one more holiday in total. I wish everyone happy holidays! * The history of Warring States is very intriguing. Many American audiences have watched the movie “Hero.” The movie tells the story of an attempted assassination of the King of Qin, which is based on a true event. Qin seemed unstoppable. The Qin King unified the land and became the first Emperor. However, in the years of the Qin Dynasty, there was a saying, "Even if there were only three households left in Chu's ruins, it must be a Chu who would annihilate Qin." Later, it became a reality. So Qu Yuan's people, after all, regained their spirit. |
