Festivals & Holidays in Chinese 节日
jiérì
Festival in Chinese is 节日 (jié rì).
Also searched for as: festival, chinese festivals, holiday.
When do people celebrate? 15 essential festivals words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for festival in Chinese is 节日 (jié rì), and most festival names simply end in 节 (jié), from 春节 (Chūn jié), the Spring Festival, to 中秋节 (Zhōng qiū jié), the Mid-Autumn Festival. This list covers the main traditional Chinese festivals, public holidays such as 国庆节 (Guó qìng jié), National Day, and festivals you'll hear about in multicultural Singapore and Malaysia, such as 开斋节 (kāi zhāi jié), Eid al-Fitr.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 节日 | jié rì | festival |
| 过节 | guò jié | to celebrate a festival |
| 春节 | Chūn jié | Spring Festival |
| 中秋节 | Zhōng qiū jié | Mid-Autumn Festival |
| 端午节 | Duān wǔ jié | Dragon Boat Festival |
| 元宵节 | Yuán xiāo jié | Lantern Festival |
| 国庆节 | Guó qìng jié | National Day |
| 清明节 | Qīng míng jié | Qingming (Tomb-Sweeping) Festival |
| 圣诞节 | Shèng dàn jié | Christmas |
| 新年 | xīn nián | New Year |
| 元旦 | Yuán dàn | New Year's Day |
| 开斋节 | kāi zhāi jié | Eid al-Fitr |
| 斋月 | zhāi yuè | Ramadan |
| 庆祝 | qìng zhù | to celebrate |
| 礼物 | lǐ wù | gift |
Usage tips
- To wish someone a happy festival, add 快乐 (kuài lè) to its name: 中秋节快乐 (Zhōng qiū jié kuài lè), 圣诞节快乐 (Shèng dàn jié kuài lè), or the all-purpose 节日快乐 (jié rì kuài lè).
- Traditional festivals follow the lunar calendar, 农历 (nóng lì), so their dates move around in the Western calendar, while 元旦 and 国庆节 are fixed.
- Each festival has its signature food: 月饼 (yuè bing), mooncakes, at Mid-Autumn, 粽子 (zòng zi), sticky rice dumplings, at Dragon Boat, and 汤圆 (tāng yuán), sweet rice balls, at the Lantern Festival.
Common mistakes
- Saying 清明节快乐 → 清明节 (Qīng míng jié) is a day for remembering the dead and tending family graves, so a cheerful 'happy' greeting is out of place.
- Using 元旦 for Chinese New Year → 元旦 (Yuán dàn) is 1 January; Chinese New Year is 春节 (Chūn jié), and 新年 (xīn nián) can mean either.
Mini dialogue
- A你最喜欢哪个节日？Nǐ zuì xǐ huan nǎ gè jié rì?Which festival do you like best?
- B中秋节，因为可以跟家人一起吃月饼、看月亮。Zhōng qiū jié, yīn wèi kě yǐ gēn jiā rén yī qǐ chī yuè bing, kàn yuè liang.Mid-Autumn, because I get to eat mooncakes and look at the moon with my family.
- A我喜欢春节，过节的时候街上特别热闹。Wǒ xǐ huan Chūn jié, guò jié de shí hou jiē shàng tè bié rè nao.I like Spring Festival. The streets are so lively over the holiday.
- B对，而且还能收到礼物和红包！Duì, ér qiě hái néng shōu dào lǐ wù hé hóng bāo!True, and you get presents and red envelopes too!
Example sentences
- 你最喜欢哪个节日？Which festival do you like best?
- 过节的时候，街上特别热闹。The streets are really lively during festivals.
- 春节是中国最重要的节日。The Spring Festival is China's most important festival.
- 中秋节我们一起吃月饼。We eat mooncakes together at the Mid-Autumn Festival.
- 端午节很多地方都有龙舟比赛。Many places hold dragon boat races at the Dragon Boat Festival.
- 元宵节晚上大家去看灯。On the night of the Lantern Festival everyone goes to see the lanterns.
- 国庆节我们放七天假。We get seven days off for National Day.
- 清明节很多人回老家扫墓。At Qingming many people go back home to sweep their ancestors' graves.
- 圣诞节我给朋友寄了卡片。I sent my friends cards at Christmas.
- 新年的第一天，我们去爬山。On the first day of the New Year we went hiking.
- 元旦那天我们在家看电视。We stayed in and watched TV on New Year's Day.
- 开斋节那天，他们全家一起吃饭。On Eid al-Fitr the whole family eats together.
- 斋月里，他白天不吃东西。During Ramadan he doesn't eat during the day.
- 我们去饭店庆祝她的生日。We went to a restaurant to celebrate her birthday.
- 这是我给你的礼物。This is a present for you.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Festivals speaking island has 8 everyday questions about festivals to prepare your own answers to.