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Xian Festival
Rites of Spring Festival in Guanzhong
The traditional bread steaming time is from 27th to 29th of the twelfth
month of the lunar year. It is every house¡¯s must work and bread gift
should be prepared. There are three kinds of steamed bread as gift, the
big-sized one is for daughter-in-law to take back home that in snail-shape
with stuffing of oil, flour and shallot mixed together; the smaller one
for distance relatives shaped in water chestnut; the last kind for own
family in different forms with a red dot on each top as a symbol of auspicious.
To follow the custom of ¡°forbid rolling until 15th of the first moon¡±,
all of the breads would eat up after the 15th.
Daintily, calends should stay at home. Besides, there is another custom
in Guanzhong¡ªdelivering flour-made doll to the newly married couples as
a kind of blessing of procreating.
Dragon Boat Festival
The lunar May 5th is the Chinese traditional Dragon Boat Festival, also
name as ¡° Day of Five Poison¡±, ¡° Moppet Festa¡±, ¡°May Festa¡± and ¡°Daughter
Day¡± etc. With regard to its origin, there is no unanimous decipher due
to different races and various regions. The widely accepted one is that
the day is to cherish the memory of patriotic poet Qu Yuan. According
to the records by Wu Jun of Liang Dynasty, during the Spring and Autumn
period, Qu Yuan was slandered by others and threw himself to the Mi Luo
River to death.
People living in South China made 5th day of the 5th moon an annual event
on which day boat races were held, signifying the launching of boats to
rescue Qu Yuan. Figures of dragonheads decorated the bows of the boats,
which later became known as dragon boats. Eventually the whole event was
renamed the annual dragon boat races.
Every year on the 5th day of the 5th moon, the day Qu Yuan disappeared,
it was customary for people living in the region near Mi Luo River to
make glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and to throw them
into the river to feed the fish. Later they accepted the fact that Qu
Yuan's body must had decomposed in the water after such a long period
of time. They stopped throwing glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves
into the river. Instead of feeding the fish they consumed the dumplings
as desserts. Many generations later they called the dumplings Zong Zi.
Shaanxi Dragon Boat Festival inherits the traditional way of celebration,
ancientry abound and full of amusement. Commonly, they start the festival
at the end of the lunar April and lasted to the May 5th with the major
activity is to donate towards each other instead of large-scaled activity.
More Family Tendency on the New Year¡¯s Eve
With the impact of newly burnt modern culture, people began to examine
their life style afresh. People in Xian choose to cast of themselves from
the normal busy life temporarily and back to some traditional customs.
The way back home is never forgotten. Different from other years, people
are appealed to back home accompanying children and elders. People from
abroad and high-salary work are still able to go home.
Making dumplings and preparing money given to children as a lunar New
Year gift, both are enjoyable things on the New Year¡¯s Eve. In the last
several years, it was popular to have the big meal of the New Year in
the restaurants, but nowadays it is more pleasure to do it by ourselves
at home as what we did before.
Still after a long process of the ways of paying New Year call as through
cards, telephones and messages. Presently, we began to regress the antique
way¡ªface to face traveling. Such kind of way would make people more familiar
and well neighbor relationship will be gained.
Some sociologists point out that, to each of us, Spring Festival is not
merely a traditional custom but more a process of spirit reversion. The
changes of the attitudes towards Spring Festival, in a large degree, reflect
the colorful and fresh minds today.
Chang¡¯an Annual International Calligraphy Meeting
The meeting was more like a huge inauguration ceremony. A 100 meters long
stroll is lay out with inscriptions written on. Both calligraphers¡¯ associations
from home and abroad would issue annual meeting certificates, four treasures
of study as writing brush, ink, ink stone and paper will be on display
as well.
For tourists, it is really an enjoyment to appreciate the masterpieces,
which engraved on stone tablets at the Forest of Steles.
Xian Ancient Culture Art Festival
The celebration usually held in September that full of people and various
kinds of performances would be seen. Large-scale traditional culture display
and dance, folk custom, folk percussion instrument performance and so
on. Also exhibitions of traditional culture and trade fairs are held nearby.
Qingming Festival
--Yellow Emperor Mausoleum Ancestor Worship
The festival is always held in a somewhat serious atmosphere to show people¡¯s
respect to our ancestor. Every year of April, in Huangling County a series
of formal ceremonies will be on display here.
As a start, the pointed person would read out the memorial ceremony oration
to consecrate the sacrificial offering. Following with the cry bamboo
artillery, plants the pine and cypress, pays respects the Yellow Emperor
temple.
Mt. Hua International Rock Climbing Competition
During the balmy autumn days of September every year, there would held
a competition that draws a lot of attention from people of different age
groups. It is a kind of sports rather than a competition; people would
like to enjoy the wonderful process instead of the result.
Xi'an City Wall International Marathon
Friendly Match
The friendly match is also a sport activity held annually, on the first
Sunday of November around the Ancient City Wall. Male, female group 5
kilometers, 10-kilometer matches, half range marathon friendly match.
Xian Terra Cotta Warrior and Horses
& Guava Celebration
Lintong, Xian is both the home of Terra Cotta Warrior and Horses and the
producing area of the famous guava. When the pleasure autumn comes, the
hot tourist time also arrives; the attractive bright-red guavas have drawn
much attention. Local people make best use of the sources of the Terracotta
Warrior and Horses and guavas together, which will fulfill the spirit
and material enjoyment. The celebration begins in the year 1991, in the
mid-September that lasted for a whole week. The main activities include
visiting the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Huaqing Hot Spring, looking
around Guava Garden and tasting delicious guavas etc.
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