China as a historical great nation of culture and traditions has of course many, many interesting and colourful festivities so does Hangzhou too. As an ancient capital during the Kingdom of Wuyue and the Southern Song Dynasty some of its festivals are influenced by that period. One of the uniqueness of Hangzhou is that many people wear folk costumes when celebrating festivals.
Mid Autumn Festival
On this festival that happens on the 15th day of the eight lunar month exactly in the middle of the autumn season one is watching the full moon and eating moon cakes also called reunion cakes. This is because the full moon is a symbolic of family reunion. Traditionally this festival was celebrated after reaping the summer harvest for the hope of attaining another full harvest in the late autumn. According to the lunar calendar the autumn season is made up of the seventh, eighth, and nine months so the 15th of the eighth month is exactly in the mid a30utumn season.
Dragon Boat Racing Festival
At Jiang village it’s custom to race dragon boat. The dragon shaped 10 meters boats are painted in bright colours and entered by a captain a drummer and twelve rowing men. As the drumbeats begin to sound the men are rowing faster and faster down the river competing with other dragon boats. This is a very appreciated and well-visited festival very popular among tourist from all over the region.
It is held annually on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, which usually falls in late May or early June.