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Holidays and Special Days for ESL Teachers in China
Standard contracts offer one to two weeks of paid vacation per year. This time is usually between semesters, thus you can expect to have a week of vacation in the summer and a week of vacation in the winter. In addition there are about 17 Chinese national holidays per year.
Please note that all the special days listed below are NOT necessarily a day off from work. Read the meaning of each to find out if you'll be in class or not. Also, plan lessons around these special days. Get your students to teach you about their special meanings and what they are doing to perpetuate their culture... |
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Official Chinese Holidays
- New Years Day (January 1)
Not as much celebrated as it is in other parts of the world because it is overshadowed by the upcoming Chinese New Year somewhere a month away. However, employees will enjoy a paid day-off. And there will be parties everywhere, in parks, dancing halls and universities where students will leave for the winter vacation.
- International Women's Day (March 8)
Interestingly, women employees will get a whole or an half paid day-off on the day while the men are at the mercy of their employers.
- Tree-Planting Day (April 1)
Note that this day is not an official no work day. Highly promoted since the late 70's by the reformist government and yet to become established. It marks the beginning of a greening campaign all over the country during the month each year.
- International Labour Day (May 1)
No less celebrated than the New Year's Day. Employees will enjoy a paid day-off. Celebration parties in parks take the place of parades today.
- Youth Day (May 4)
Not an official day off... this is a day in memory of the first mass student movement in 1919, a movement touched off by the then Chinese government that gave in to the Japanese government's attempt to colonize Shandong Province. It is also an anti-Confucius movement as well as one that promoted the western scientific and democratic ideas. Government organized youth activities everywhere in the country today characterizes the celebration of this day.
- Children's Day (June 1)
This is not necessarily a day off. It is the most memorable day for Chinese kids all over the country. Many entertainment places such as cinemas, parks and children museums and palaces are open free to them. Elementary schools throw celebration parties while parents shower them with presents.
- The CCP's Birthday (July 1)
Not necessarily a day off - this special day marks the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 in Shanghai. It is usually characterized by front page editorials in major government newspapers.
- Army's Day (August 1)
Not necessarily a day off - this day celebrates the communist-led nationalist army staging the first armed uprising in Chinese communist history against the Nationalists on August 1, 1927. It was regarded as the beginning of the Red Army (later the People's Liberation Army). Now the anniversary is often used to promote better relationships between the army and civilians, a tradition believed to have helped it beat the Nationalists during the civil war in 1949.
- Teacher's Day (September 1)
It was started in the early eighties as an effort to reverse the anti-intellectual sentiment nurtured by the "Cultural Revolution". It is yet to become an established holiday. You will be working on this day but you will also be smothered in presents from your students and their parents. This is a fun day for teachers.
- National Day (October 1)
This holiday can often run 2 or 3 days. It is the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 in the wake of routing the Nationalists who have since taken refuge in Taiwan. There used to be grand parades in major cities of the country. Now celebrations usually take the form of parties in amusement parks by day and fire-works and grand TV ensembles during the evening. Employees enjoy two paid days-off. It is also a good occasion for many people to take a short excursion to enjoy the beauty of the golden Fall. |
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Chinese Traditional Holidays
- Spring Festival (The Chinese New Year) (1st of the 1st month)
The biggest and most celebrated festival in China and part of east and Southeast Asia. This usually runs over 3 days not including the weekend and is at the end of January or beginning of February. It changes in accordance with the moon.
Chinese New Year, pronounced in Chinese as "xin nian", always falls on the date of marking the beginning of the spring and thus it is also called the "Spring Festival". "xin" means "new" and "nian" means "year". There are many stories told about the origin of "nian", which actually is the name of an animal.
The old story says that the beast "nian", with a very big mouth, was so fierce it could swallow many people in one bite. People were very scared. In an effort to save the people, an old man challenged "nian" and said, "I hear that you are very capable, but can you swallow other beasts instead of people who are by no means a worthy opponent for you?"
"Nian" accepted this challenge and swallowed many beasts that hurt people and their domestic animals.
The old man became an immortal god and rode the beast "nian" to the heavens. Now that "nian" was gone people began to enjoy peaceful lives. Before the old man left, he told people to put up red paper decorations in their windows and doors at each year's end to scare away "nian" in case it returned, because red is the color the beast feared the most.
From that point, the term "guo nian" has had the meaning "pass-over" or "survive" the "nian". By tradition, Chinese businesses pay off all debts by the year-end thus causing a greater celebration.
Today people still put up red paper and set off firecrackers as a way of celebrating New Years. This tradition dates back more than a thousand years.
- Lantern Festival (15th of the 1st month)
Lantern exhibits, lion and dragon dances, and eating Tang Yuan (ball-shaped boiled sweet rice dumplings with delicious stuffing.)are features of this day. It is very much celebrated in the rural areas by farmers. The Lantern Festival also marks the end of the Chinese New Year season.
- Tomb Sweeping Day (April 4 or 5 or 6) Qing Ming (Pure & Bright in Chinese)
Celebrated two weeks after the vernal equinox, Tomb Sweeping Day is one of the few traditional Chinese holidays that follows the solar calendar-- typically falling on April 4, 5, or 6.
Originally it was a celebration of spring. People used to customarily go out on an excursion to "cut grass". Later it became day dedicated to the dear departed.
- Duan Wu (Dragon Boat) Festival (5th of the 5th month by the Lunar Calendar)
Said to be in memory of a great patriot poet of the then State of Chu during the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), Qu Yuan (Ch'u Yuan), who drowned himself to protest his emperor who gave in to the bully State of Chin. For fear that fish may consume his body, people of Chu launched their boats and started throwing rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river where he was drowned to feed the fish. Now the big event of dragon boat contest may be a legacy of such activity. People today still eat the bamboo-leave rice dumplings on the occasion today.
- The Seventh Eve (7th of the seventh month)
It is a traditional holiday almost lost to the younger generations today. It originates from a beautiful legend about a cowboy and a fairy that were cruelly separated and were reunited once each year on this happy yet sad occasion.
- Mid-Autumn Festival (15th of the eighth month by the Lunar Calendar)
It is second only to the Chinese New Year in significance. The moon on this day is the fullest and largest to the eye. Typically the whole family check out the moon while feasting on good wine, fruits and moon-cakes. There is also a beautiful story behind it. Children are told that there's a fairy on the moon living in a spacious but cold crystal palace with her sole companion, a jade rabbit. A heavenly general and friend would occasionally pay her a visit, bringing along his fragrant wine. She would then dance a beautiful dance. The shadows on the moon made the story all the more credible and fascinating to the young imaginative minds. |
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