Tibetan Naqu Horse Racing Festival

Nagchu Horse Racing Festival, also called Qangtang Horse Racing Festival is held on 10th August at Naqu Town in northern Tibet. The festival is scheduled to last five to fifteen days. It is the golden time of Northern Tibet grassland.

Horse-racing is an important tradition on the prairie. Tibetan people even value it more than the Tibetan New Year. Before horse racing festival, tens of thousands herdsmen dressing gorgeous clothes will have a happy reunion. They will bring highland barley liquor, yogurt, tents with beautiful patterns and racing horses. Horse racing has been divided into long term race, short term race, shooting on the horseback and equestrianism, etc. Before the race, herdsmen will give their blessing to all the riders. After that, they will try their best to win the race.

Various activities will be held during the horse racing festival. Such as tug of war, carrying rocks, shooting and yak racing. A large-scale goods and material exchange will also take place at that time.

There is a direct link between Tibetan horse racing and their faith. To a great extent, Tibetan Buddhism ethic notion influences Tibetan history, culture, daily life, etc. Horse racing culture also contains the worship of hero, who ever resisted external invasion, defended their homeland. Horses are Tibetan people’s intimate friend. They will ride their beloved horses, whether travel or marry.

Tips:
1.Travel time: August (Nagchu Horse Racing Festival is held on 10th August)
2.Transportation: You may take minibuses or taxis for a good view of the town. Minibus tickets are usually CNY 2 while taxis cost CNY 10 regardless of the destination, as long as it is inside the town.
3.Useful Numbers:
Regional Code: (0)896
Tourist Complaints: 0896-3820677
Fire: 119
Police: 110
Ambulance: 120

Dragon Boat Races

On June 15, 2010, 18 representatives of the National Dragon Boat Races team and 20 traditional exhibition team at dragon boat training base in China – Harbour Zigui Xujiachong compete in a dragon boat race on the Yangtze River during the Duan Wu Festival. Before the game, there is a Calling Rituals for the respect of Qu Yuan.

The world’s largest steel dragon was unveiled during the race. It is of 2.4 m width, 0.6 meters depth, 0.4 meters draft design and can accommodate 120 people at the same time. The length of the giant dragon boat is 62 meters, which is to commemorate Qu Yuan’s 62-year-old life.

Want to know the Origin about Duan Wu Festival? Want to know more about Qu Yuan? Click here to start your exciting journey now.

Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival or the Festival of Reunion in China, is one of the most important festivals in China. It falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. It is a date that parallels the autumn and spring Equinoxes of the solar calendar, when the moon is supposedly at its fullest and roundest.

The custom of worshipping the moon can date back to the Xia and Shang Dynasties (2000 B.C.-1066 B.C.). In the Zhou Dynasty (1066 B.C.-221 B.C.), people hold ceremonies to worship the moon whenever the Mid-Autumn Festival sets in. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it became a prevalent festival. Since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) , the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration has become unprecedentedly popular.

Celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival

People in different parts of China may have different ways to celebrate the festival. However, there are some customs shared by the whole nation.

As the full and round moon symbolizes reunion in Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the festival of reunion. On that day, all the family members will get together to have a family reunion dinner. After dinner, they will sit outside to admire the bright full moon and eat mooncakes.

There are also some local customs during that day. In Guangzhou in South China, a huge lantern show is held on that day. Thousands of differently shaped lanterns are lit, forming a fantastic contrast with the bright moonlight. In East China’s Zhejiang Province, people watch the flood tide of the Qian-tang River during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Legends

There are many legends about the moon and the most popular one is Chang’e flying to the moon.
One day, the ten suns all assembled around the earth and their presence destroyed all vegetation. Houyi, the greatest archer in the world shot down nine of the suns and then became the emperor. His wife Chang’e stole Houyi’s elixir of life in order to save the people from her husband’s tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating and flew to the moon. More about the legend…

Chinese Festivals

Based on both lunar and solar calendars, the Chinese observe a wide variety of traditional and modern holidays. They showcase the rich traditional and cultural heritage of China. Want to be a china hand? Want to touch the soul of China? Please join us to celebrate together！

Following is the festival list for 2009.

• Major Traditional Chinese Festivals

• Ethnic Minority Festivals

Can you guess the names of the following festivals?

Even the Milky Way could NOT Stop the Love

Today is Chinese Valentine’s Day. Undoubtedly, this is a day devoted to romance. There is a beautiful love story about the origin for this special day.

The 7th daughter of the Queen of the Heaven and an orphaned cowherd fell in love with each other. In order to separate them, the Queen pulled off her hairpin and draw a line between them. The line became the Milky Way. The 7th daughter was forced to move to the star Vega and the cowherd moved to the star Altair. They are allowed to meet only once a year on the day of 7th day of 7th lunar month. On that day, magpies would gather and form a bridge for the couple to meet in the evening. More about the legend…

Therefore, the day they meet became Chinese Valentine’s Day. It is said that if the night Chinese Valentine’s Day rains, the rain are the tears of the Weaving Maid and Cowherd. Tonight, the rain is so heavy and does it mean they are very sad? Anyway, wish they will cherish the time they spend together and may all the lovers enjoy happy endings.

More about the Custom of Chinese Valentine

On Chinese Valentine’s Day, couples go to matchmaker temples to pray for everlasting love and marriage. Even single people will frequent the temple for luck in love. Chinese Valentine’s Day is also called “The Daughter’s Festival”. Long ago, Chinese girls aspired to becoming skilled craftswomen like the Weaving Maid. This skill was considered essential to their future as wives and mothers. On that night, unmarried girls prayed to the Weaving Maid star for the special gift. When the star Vega was high up in the sky, girls performed a small test by placing a needle on the water’s surface: If the needle did not sink, the girl was considered to be ready to find a husband. Once a year, on this day, girls could wish for anything their hearts desired.

In some Chinese provinces, people believe that decorating an ox’s horns with flowers on Chinese Valentine’s Day will ward off disaster. On the night of Valentine’s Day, women wash their hair to give it a fresh and shiny look; children wash their faces the next morning using the overnight water in their backyards for a more naturally beautiful appearance; and girls throw five-colored ropes made during the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival on the roofs so magpies can use them to build the bridge.