Festivals

Christianity has been the state religion in Armenia since 301 and as such maintains their original day for Christmas: January 6. The holidays for this period feature a number of feasts, festivals, and observances that take place in the first week of January, kicking off with Armenian Santa Dzmer Papa (winter grandfather), who brings presents on December 31st. Christmas day on January 6 is a time when people bring the fire from churches to their homes, believing it will bless their families.

Celebrated with family, New Year in Armenia involves a feast into the night of pork leg, Armenian dolma, and spicy blinchik, as well as spirits that include Armenian cognac and wine. After the clock strikes midnight on January 1, Armenians often leave their home in the dead of winter in the middle of the night to visit with their neighbors.

The Miao People of Yunnan celebrate this annual one-day festival in honor of their ancestors. They dress in traditional costume and plant a flower tree on a mountain. Classical music, dancing, and lion dancing are accompanied by a bullfight. There are games and competitions with prizes and a local market of food and crafts.

This seven-day holiday is one of the most important in the Chinese calendar and is referred to as Golden Week. There are noisy celebrations with fireworks, family reunions where older relatives give youngsters red envelopes with cash, and lion dance performances. Most businesses reopen on the sixth day with spring dinners for employees.

The day before Chinese New Year, people clean their houses to clear away bad luck and welcome good luck. Homes are decorated, new clothes are bought and families hold a reunion dinner comprised of fish and dumplings to symbolize wealth. Many people visit the temple at midnight to light incense and pray for a prosperous new year.

This is a popular four-day festival celebrated by the Miao ethnic minority of Guizhou. The Lusheng reed pipe dates back to the Tang dynasty and, as a symbol of Miao history, is played throughout the festival at ceremonies and performances of traditional dances. There are horse races on the third day and bullfighting on the fourth.