Tianjin Events and Festivals

(Tianjin, China)

Tianjin offers a good selection of festivals and seasonal events around the year. All of the country's major annual festivals are enjoyed in Tianjin and also in the nearby city of Beijing, where you can appreciate festivities on a larger scale, with the city easily reached by car or train.

Colour and tradition play a big part in most festivities around Tianjin, and visitors are almost always welcome to join in the fun. Things to do, annual festivals and other notable events are listed below.

Tianjin National Public Holidays

The People's Republic of China features a total of nine national public holidays each year:

• New Year's Day - January 1st
• Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) - February
• International Women's Day - March 8th
• International Labour Day - May 1st
• Youth Day - May 4th
• International Children's Day - June 1st
• Birthday of the Chinese Communist Party - July 1st
• Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Liberation Army (August 1st)
• National Day - October 1st

Tianjin Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• New Year's Day - while the first of January is not strictly the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the country does observe the significance of this date and hence in Tianjin, you will find typical new year's celebrations on this national holiday, enjoyed by all. Many businesses close for the day

February

• Chinese New Year - the biggest celebration of the year, Tianjin residents sit down to an enormous family meal, clean their houses ready for the year ahead and set off dozens of fireworks
• Spring Festival - mid-February, held across the country, this is the traditional time to celebrate Chinese New Year and perhaps the most enthusiastically celebrated festival in the lunar calendar. Tianjin locals get together with family and friends for the exchanging of gifts before heading out to enjoy street parades, traditional dragon dances and copious amount of fireworks

March

• Lantern Festival - early March, arrives to mark the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations and sees Tianjin locals decorating their homes, business and places of work with beautiful paper lanterns, which are lit come evening time giving the city a special festival feel. Traditionally, sticky rice dumplings are eaten during this period

April

• Qingming - held on 5th April and also known as Chingming, this annual nationwide festival is a time for Chinese to make visits to the graves of loved ones for the purpose of cleaning them and making offerings of food, wine and flowers. Qingming is an important festival that allows locals to pay tribute to the lives of their deceased relatives

May

• Chinese Rose Festival - mid-May, with a colourful parade, plenty of dancing, acrobats, costumed performers, and of course, fragrant roses
• Festival of the Bun Hills - a four-day event with huge numbers of bread buns, known locally as Cheng Chau and held every year on the eighth day of the fourth moon
• Tin Hau Festival - celebrating the legendary goddess Tin Hau, with various rituals takes place around the city

June

• Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Jie) - this annual affair is celebrated nationwide and is considered one of the lunar calendar's most important festivals. Locals head for the nearest waterways to the city to observe races conducted in brightly coloured dragon boats

July

• Beijing International Choral Festival - held in neighbouring Beijing, this annual affair sees the best choirs from Beijing and Tianjin team up with international choirs for a magnificent week-long singing gala

August

• Ghost Month - a superstitious time, held during the seventh lunar month, which usually falls at the very beginning of August

September

• Moon Festival - late September, often referred to as the Mid-Autumn Festival, this countrywide celebration is held on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month and sees a variety of festivities, including the preparation and consumption of moon-shaped cakes, the focus of the event

October

• Double Ninth Festival - the ninth day of the ninth Chinese month is said to have too much yang, according to the I Ching. To protect against the danger presented by this day, Chinese get their hiking boots on and climb hills and mountains. The festival is also associated with chrysanthemum and Tianjin residents typically enjoy a glass of chrysanthemum wine on this day

November

• International Jazz Festival - held in neighbouring Beijing in the first week of the month, this annual event is a showcase for both Chinese and international talents from the world of jazz music

December

• Beijing International Dance Festival - another festival held in Tianjin's neighbouring city, this annual affair runs until January and sees both Chinese and international dance ensembles assemble to perform their respective talents