Category Archives: Holidays

Clear Bright Festival 清明节

Today (April 5th) is 清明节. It is a significant holiday, when people visit and pay respect to their deceased family members. A typical activity for the day is tomb sweeping: visit and sweep dust off the tombs. The name likely … Continue reading

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April Fools! 你上当了!

你上当了 means you’ve been fooled.  You can use it after successfully pull off a prank on someone too.  (listen:) April fools  • 你: you. Pronunciation: nǐ (3) • 上: up. Pronunciation: shàng (4) • 当: sell to pawn shop. Pronunciation: dàng (4) • 了 … Continue reading

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Happy Valentine’s Day 情人节快乐

China has its own traditional “Valentine’s Day”, it is on July 7th of lunar calendar. Western Valentine’s Day is popular among young people in China. We added another twist: girls gift dark chocolates to boys on February 14th, and boys … Continue reading

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Happy Lantern Festival 元宵节快乐

元宵节 is a Chinese holiday established more than 2,000 years ago. It is always on January 15th of lunar calendar. It marks the end of Spring Festival. Typically, families get together for dinner, have 元宵 (Yuanxiao: sticky rice ball, usually stuffed … Continue reading

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How long is the Spring Festival

The answer is 15 days: from January 1st to the 15th, in lunar calendar. Because of the significance of that time period, those 15 days have special names. (listen:) Chinese New Year’s Day  Chinese New Year’s Day is: 正月初一 • 正月: … Continue reading

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