Chinese Festivals: Have you attended?

[Tao of Buttercup]

I've never had the opportunity to attend a Chinese festival. Am just now learning (basics) about the major festivals in "The Lunar Tao." (...and I'm noticing distinct similarities with old European [Pagan] fests, which isn't surprising considering seasonal orientation).

 

What festivals have you attended? If many or most, which is your favorite and why? Feel free to share impressions, photos, etc.

 

I'd love to see the Lantern Festival, and hope to schedule our visit to San Francisco's China district to coincide with.

Edited July 19, 2014 by Tao of Buttercup

[silent thunder]

Sakura Matsuri: Japan's cherry blossom festival is my gig.

Hanging out under the canopy of flowers, dropping back sake with friends and laughing...

[GrandmasterP]

Chinese New Year.

Very big in Manchester close by where we used to live.

Fabulous day out for all the family.

Not festivals as such but have been to some Taoist 'services' in Taiwan.

Those are quite fun and kinda noisy too.

Edited July 20, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Silent Answers]

The most insane one I ever saw was in a rural village during Dragon Boat Festival where the whole village gathered out doors and on the tops of the buildings (there weren't many buildings) a good couple thousand people. The teen males were topless and walking around in a chain forming two dragons. It was a coming of age ceremony where the youth would show their bravery by taking blasts from bundles of firecrackers being thrown at them by the crowds of the opposing team.... We're talking millions of firecrackers... Turned the whole field red as if from a real battle. Kids were running around in there trying to show off how they could be strong as a dragon too, while the young adults were pumped up with so much adrenaline that they were almost lost in a rage (I think most of them were probably very intoxicated). There was plenty of blood and wounds... But nothing a few weeks healing couldn't fix.

 

So yeah... That happened!

Edited July 22, 2014 by Silent Answers

[silent thunder]

The most insane one I ever saw was in a rural village during Dragon Boat Festival where the whole village gathered out doors and on the tops of the buildings (there weren't many buildings) a good couple thousand people. The teen males were topless and walking around in a chain forming two dragons. It was a coming of age ceremony where the youth would show their bravery by taking blasts from bundles of firecrackers being thrown at them by the crowds of the opposing team.... We're talking millions of firecrackers... Turned the whole field red as if from a real battle. Kids were running around in there trying to show off how they could be strong as a dragon too, while the young adults were pumped up with so much adrenaline that they were almost lost in a rage (I think most of them were probably very intoxicated). There was plenty of blood and wounds... But nothing a few weeks healing couldn't fix.

 

So yeah... That happened!

that sounds absolutely insanely awesome!

 

I still can't post pics, but here's a link to a festival I will be taking my family to when my son is a bit older... it's on my bucket list.

https://www.google.com/search?q=festival+of+lights+thailand&client=firefox-a&hs=eNK&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=W5bOU-WIB4v5oASCu4HQBg&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=981&bih=663&dpr=1.3

[Silent Answers]

that sounds absolutely insanely awesome!

 

I still can't post pics, but here's a link to a festival I will be taking my family to when my son is a bit older... it's on my bucket list.

https://www.google.com/search?q=festival+of+lights+thailand&client=firefox-a&hs=eNK&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=W5bOU-WIB4v5oASCu4HQBg&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=981&bih=663&dpr=1.3

 

It was...a rare sight haha. Almost turned ugly, me being the only foreigner there, in a part of the country that probably never gets foreign visitors. They get a bit excited about outsiders

 

That Festival of Lights looks awesome too. You wouldn't get anything like that here in China real lanterns are banned in most parts of the country, as are fireworks strangely enough. You still get them in some villages but you'd never see anything as pretty or as organised as in those Google images. Thailand gets all the best stuff .