Special Days of Celebration - Taoism

The Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival takes place every 15th day of the lunar month. On this day, the first full moon of the year is celebrated. According to Taoism, this festival celebrates the birthday of the Taoist god, Tianguan. Tianguan enjoys many types of celebration so people participate in different events with the goal of obtaining good fortune. Lanterns are hung to worship the gods who are responsible in bringing positivity and fortune. In the past, lanterns were very simple, but today, they come in all shapes and sizes. People celebrate by hanging lanterns, solving puzzles and eating yuanxiaohah, a popular chinese dish that is a riceball filled with ground black sesame.
Tomb Sweeping Day (Qingming Festival)
On the 104th day after the winter solstice, the Chinese, especially taoists, celebrate the “Tomb Sweeping Day”, formally known as the “Qingming Festival”. The Qingming Festival is the day when Chinese people visit graves or burial sites of their ancestors. The people present offerings such as food, tea, wine, chopsticks and sweep the tombs of the deceased, and do not cook any sort of food that day. During the holiday, only cold food is served. Although this holiday may seem tragic, it also exists as a time to consider hopes for the upcoming season of spring.
Dragon Boat Festival
The Duanwu Festival, otherwise known as the Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional holiday originated in China that occurs on the fifth month of the lunisolar chinese calendar. The Dragon Boat Festival started as a celebration of the life of Qu Yuan, a prominent member of the Zhou Dynasty. He worked to get rid of corruption in the Zhou Dynasty. His opinions were not popular and he was forced out of his position. When the Zhou Dynasty fell, he committed suicide by jumping into a river on the fifth day of the fifth month. Qu Yuan’s last poem was;
Many a heavy sigh I have in my despair, Grieving that I was born in such an unlucky time. I yoked a team of jade dragons to a phoenix chariot, And waited for the wind to come, To soar up on my journey
The Dragon Boat Festival exists because of this poem. During the festival, people race dragon boats and eat a food called zong zi, which is a type of riceball.
Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year is one of the most popular holidays in the world. It begins on Chinese New Years Eve and ends with the Lantern Festival. The holiday is accompanied by a belief in good fortune, and there are many decorations around to herald the new year. During this holiday, citizens celebrate by visiting temples to pray and burn thin, wooden chinese sticks called the incense. As for parades, festivals are full of excitement, with various types of entertainments including firecrackers, activities, and dragon dancers.
Hungry Ghost Festival
Originated in ancient Chinese folk religion, the Hungry Ghost festival begins every 15th night of July. Traditionally in China, the seventh month is regarded as the “ghost month" where ghosts and spirits of the deceased ancestors come out from the lower realm. Buddhist and Taoists would perform rituals to avert the sufferings of the deceased with food offerings, burning incense, and burning joss paper. Most meals served in this holiday consist of vegetarian dishes in empty seats for each of the deceased, treated as if they are still living.