Now the Chinese authorities are calling for "holding high Chinese culture and creating a common spiritual hearth for the Chinese nation." And it turned out that of the four national holidays, only one is linked to tradition – the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year). New Year (January 1) and May Day came from Western culture, while the October 1 holiday refers to the relatively recent events of 1949 (the founding of the PRC). Traditional festivals are observed in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, and are popular among overseas Chinese communities, but they have been forgotten on the historical homeland, undermining Beijing's claims to global cultural leadership.
"Additional holidays can have a beneficial impact on the Chinese economy," explained Andrei Karneyev, deputy director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University. "Together with a range of other measures, they can help curb overproduction, reduce export growth rates, and smooth contradictions between China and its main trading partners." The authorities gave workers one extra day off (from 10 to 11), while the other two will be obtained by reducing the May Day holiday from three days to one. Notably, a few years ago May Day suffered a similar fate in Russia – "international workers' solidarity" seems out of place amid the promotion of market reforms and growing attention to national cultural traditions in both countries.
A three-day May Day instead of a single day appeared in China in 1999. At that time, the authorities decided to encourage people to spend more money by giving them three "golden weeks" for rest and shopping – for the lunar New Year in January-February, for May 1, and for PRC Founding Day in early October. The vacation system in China is underdeveloped, and people seized this opportunity for travel.
Wealthy Chinese prefer to travel abroad, while those who are less well-off began traveling within the country, causing an extreme burden on transport and the service sector. The quality of rest during the "golden weeks" declines year after year, as official experts tirelessly remind. The issue of holidays was resolved democratically – in November, the reform plan was published online, with 1.55 million people participating in the vote, of whom 80% supported the changes.
Among the three revived old holidays, the first is the spring Qingming Festival, which in the last century was decided to be celebrated on April 4-6 according to the Gregorian calendar (next year on April 4). On this day, Chinese remember their ancestors and clean their graves. The communist authorities strongly disliked Qingming because of the "feudal superstitions" of offering food and burning paper money for the deceased at graves. This festival combines remembrance of the dead with the joy of life's renewal – on Qingming, it is customary in China to go out into nature to walk on fresh grass.
Then comes the Duanwu Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the lunar calendar (in 2008 it falls on June 8). According to legend, on this day the poet Qu Yuan, who lived in the ancient state of Chu (3rd century BC), committed suicide. The rulers did not heed his advice on strengthening the kingdom's defenses and sent him into exile. Upon learning that the state of Chu had been conquered by the enemy, the poet threw himself into the river. People searched for his body for a long time without success – hence the tradition of dragon boat races on Duanwu. In modern interpretation, the story of Qu Yuan is presented as an example of patriotism and selfless love for the motherland.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month (in 2008 it falls on September 14). This is a day of full moon, and all family members should go outside in the evening to admire the bright round moon. After that, at home, they need to eat round "mooncakes," which promise the family well-being.
One of the legends associated with this festival is about the beautiful Chang'e, who drank the elixir of immortality left in her care by her husband and ascended to the Moon. The tradition of the festival grew out of ceremonies offering food and drink to the full moon by the husband longing for his wife. The memory of the beauty lives on to this day – the Chinese lunar satellite "Chang'e-1", launched on October 24, is named after her. In modern life, the autumn festival Zhongqiu symbolizes unity and harmony in family relationships.