Category Archives: Festival

Ghost Month and Not Swimming During Zhongyuan Festival

Date: 04/21/2026

Speaker: “When I was little, adults always told us not to go swimming during Zhongyuan Festival. That is the Ghost Festival, around the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month.

People say that during that time, the gates of the underworld open, so ghosts can come out. We call it ‘opening the ghost gate.’ Because of that, people think the whole month is unlucky, especially near rivers, lakes, beaches, and the ocean.

Adults would always say that if you go swimming during Ghost Month, water ghosts might try to pull you down. They would say the ghosts want someone to take their place, so they look for people near the water. Even if nobody fully believed it, people still avoided swimming because it felt unlucky.

During that month, people also burn paper money and other paper offerings for ancestors and wandering spirits. Families might burn paper houses, paper clothes, paper gold, or paper money. It’s basically an idea is that the dead can use those things in the afterlife.

A lot of families in places like Fujian, Taiwan, and Guangzhou still follow these traditions. Even younger people who do not really believe in ghosts might still avoid swimming during Ghost Month, just in case.

There is also a Taiwanese animated movie called Grandma and Her Ghosts that has a lot of these kinds of Ghost Month ideas in it. It is about ghosts, family, and traditional beliefs, so a lot of Taiwanese people know it from when they were kids.”

Interviewer: “Did you actually believe it when you were younger?”

Speaker: “When I was little, yes, definitely. If an adult tells you not to swim because ghosts will pull you underwater, of course you believe it. Even now, I still feel a little weird about swimming during Ghost Month.”

Interviewer: “So people still follow these traditions even if they do not fully believe them?”

Speaker: “Yeah. Even if people do not completely believe it, they still do not want to risk it. It is one of those traditions where people think, ‘It is better to be safe than sorry.’”

Context: This conversation took place during an informal discussion about Ghost Month traditions in southern Chinese culture. It was originally in Chinese and I use AI tools to translate. The speaker described beliefs surrounding Zhongyuan Festival, especially the idea that the gates of the underworld open during the seventh lunar month. She explained that many families in Fujian, Taiwan, and Guangzhou avoid swimming during that time because of stories about water ghosts pulling people underwater. She also mentioned the practice of burning paper offerings for the dead and connected these beliefs to childhood memories and Taiwanese popular culture.

Analysis: Ghost Month folklores remain especially strong in southern Chinese communities, particularly in Fujian, Taiwan, and parts of Guangdong. The belief that the “ghost gate” opens during the seventh lunar month creates a period associated with danger, bad luck, and wandering spirits. Water is often seen as especially dangerous because of stories about ghosts looking for living people to replace them. Even when people no longer fully believe these stories, they often continue following the customs because of family pressure, cultural habit, or superstition. The continued popularity of works like Grandma and Her Ghosts also shows how these beliefs are passed down through both folklore and popular media.

Tomb Sweeping and Ancestor Offerings

Speaker: “Yes, so when we talk about tomb sweeping, it is really about remembering our ancestors and expressing our grief and respect for them. When people go to visit the graves, they usually bring offerings like fruit or other food. But more importantly, they often bring things that the person liked when they were alive. For example, if that elder used to smoke, we might bring a pack of cigarettes, sometimes even a good one, and light one there for them.

If the person liked to drink, we might bring alcohol, like Maotai, pour a cup, and offer it after kneeling and burning incense. So besides the more general offerings, like incense and paper money, there are also these more personal things.

Burning paper money is very common. The idea is that you are sending money to them so they can use it in the afterlife. People sometimes say that elders in the past had very hard lives and did not have much money, so now we burn more for them, to make sure they have enough. There are also more specific offerings depending on the person. It really depends on what that elder liked. The younger generation will prepare things based on that, so every family’s practice can be a little different.

Another important thing about tomb sweeping is that it is not just about the ritual itself. It is also a kind of family tradition that gets passed down through generations. Usually, the whole family goes together, including older people, middle-aged adults, and children. The reason is that it is also a way of teaching younger people. It helps them learn respect for their ancestors and understand family values. When we were young, we went with our parents, and when we grow up, we continue the same practice. So this tradition has been passed down for thousands of years. It is not just about remembering the dead, but also about family education, values, and maintaining a sense of continuity within the family.”

Interviewer: “So it is not just a ritual, but also something educational?” Speaker: “Yes, exactly. It is a way for younger generations to learn. By participating, they understand what it means to respect elders and carry on family traditions.” Context: This conversation took place during an informal interview about traditional Chinese customs related to ancestor worship. The speaker described the practice of tomb sweeping, including bringing offerings such as food, cigarettes, and alcohol that reflect the personal preferences of the deceased. He also emphasized the importance of burning incense and paper money, as well as the role of tomb sweeping as a family activity that involves multiple generations.

Analysis: Tomb sweeping, often associated with Qingming Festival, is both a ritual practice and a form of cultural transmission. The offerings reflect a belief that the needs and preferences of the deceased continue into the afterlife, while the act of burning paper money symbolizes providing for them materially. At the same time, the practice serves as an important educational moment within families. By involving children and younger generations, tomb sweeping reinforces values such as filial piety, respect for elders, and continuity across generations. This dual role, as both ritual and teaching practice, helps explain why the tradition has remained strong over such a long period of time.

Lunar New Year Visiting Tradition in Shanghai

Age: 21

Speaker: “So in Shanghai, during the Lunar New Year, there is this custom where the whole family takes turns visiting different relatives. Usually, the family decides whether to follow the father’s side or the mother’s side for that year. For example, on my mom’s side, my grandmother has several siblings, maybe four who are still around, and everyone stays in touch. Before the New Year, they will coordinate and decide the schedule.

On the first day of the New Year, everyone usually goes to the oldest elder’s home. In my case, that would be my grandmother, since she is the eldest in her generation. Then on the second day, people go to the next person in order of seniority, like maybe my great-uncle. And after that, it just continues, going from one household to another. So it is kind of like each day there is a big family gathering hosted by a different relative. And whoever is hosting that day has to prepare everything themselves. You are not supposed to just go out to eat at a restaurant. You have to cook at home and make a full table of dishes, a really big spread with all kinds of food.

It is not just about eating, either. If dinner is in the evening, people usually start arriving around noon. Everyone just hangs out together, chatting, sometimes playing mahjong, and doing different activities. It usually goes on like this for several days during the New Year. Interviewer: “Are there any specific foods that are important or traditional?” Speaker: “Yeah, definitely. One thing I remember clearly is that there always has to be a fish, because it represents ‘surplus every year.’ That meaning is really important. For soups, a more traditional Shanghai-style one would have napa cabbage, egg dumplings, glass noodles, and tofu skin rolls, sometimes with a bit of cured meat. It is kind of like a big mixed pot with a lot of ingredients.

For cold dishes, you might have things like marinated jellyfish or white-cut chicken. And for hot dishes, there is usually a wide variety of meats. You will see pork, beef, and all kinds of dishes, basically everything you can think of. There are always a lot of different plates on the table. So overall, it is really about having a full, abundant meal and spending time together as a family.” Interviewer: “So it lasts for several days?” Speaker: “Yeah, it usually goes on for a few days like that, visiting different relatives and gathering together.”

Context: This conversation took place during an informal interview about Lunar New Year customs in different regions of China. The speaker described a common practice in Shanghai in which extended family members organize a rotating schedule of visits, with each household hosting a large meal. He emphasized both the importance of hierarchy, such as visiting the eldest relative first, and the expectation that each host prepares an elaborate home-cooked feast.

Analysis: This account highlights how Lunar New Year functions as both a ritual and a social structure for maintaining extended family relationships. The rotating hosting system reinforces generational hierarchy while ensuring that responsibility is shared among relatives. Food plays a central symbolic role, especially dishes like fish that carry meanings of prosperity and abundance. At the same time, the gatherings are not limited to eating, but also include social interaction, games, and conversation, emphasizing the importance of togetherness. The multi-day nature of the visits reflects the broader cultural value placed on family continuity and collective celebration during the New Year period.

Cuban New Year Traditions: Grapes, Water, and Roasted Pig

“So my dad’s thing, his folklore I guess, is that on New Year’s you eat 12 grapes, one for each month of the coming year. Each grape is basically a wish, a month of good luck. And then you fill up pots and pans with water and you throw the water out to get rid of all the bad luck from the year before. And you bang the pots together to scare away any bad energy, bad mojo. That’s his Cuban heritage, that’s where all of that comes from.

And then more generally, for any big holiday, it’s just about getting the whole extended family together. Like everyone comes. And the food is a huge part of it. The main thing you’re always going to have is roasted pig, and then black beans, rice, and fried plantains. It’s not a gathering without those. The food is really the center of everything, honestly. That’s just how those family holidays work.”

Context: This is from my friend whose father is Cuban. The informant was relaxed and a little giggly about it, clearly fond of these memories. It’s about the specific rituals their family does on New Year’s Eve, and then more broadly the way big family holidays just always look a certain way, same food every time, same people crowded around the same table. Someone in the room kept kicking them partway through, which did not help.

Analysis: The way he describes it shows that he is not quite sure what category it belongs in. But that slight distance actually makes it more interesting, because it shows how folk traditions get transmitted within families without ever being formally taught. Nobody sat this person down and explained the symbolism of the grapes or the water. They just grew up watching it happen, and now they know it.

The grape-eating and pot rituals are recognizable from Cuban and broader Latin American New Year’s tradition, but what stands out here is less the rituals themselves and more the fact that they’ve survived the distance of immigration intact, still tied to a specific identity, still understood as distinctly Cuban even several generations in. Throwing water out to expel bad luck, banging pots to scare off evil, these are physical, almost theatrical acts, and that probably has something to do with why they stick. They’re hard to forget once you’ve seen them.

The food side of things is doing something a little different. Roasted pig, black beans, rice, plantains showing up at every single holiday isn’t really about any one occasion. It’s more like a recurring proof of belonging. The meal is the same because the family is the same, and making it together, eating it together, is how that continuity gets felt rather than just assumed.

This entry was posted in Calendar Custom, Festival, Food, Family Folklore and tagged Cuban heritage, New Year’s, grapes, luck, roasted pig, family gathering, Latin American tradition on 0420.

Gender Appreciation Days at Tsinghua University

Age: 53 Performance Date: 04/19

“Every year on March 7th — the day before International Women’s Day on March 8th — people started calling it 女生节, Girls’ Day. That’s when the guys in class buy gifts for the girls. And then on November 10th, the day before Singles’ Day on the 11th, that becomes 男生节, Boys’ Day, where the girls are supposed to buy gifts for the guys. This has been going on for maybe ten, fifteen, almost twenty years now. It’s just one of those things everyone does.

And there’s another thing that goes along with Girls’ Day on March 7th — the guys in class will make these big banners. Like, they’ll write stuff on them about how great the girls in their class are, how much they like them, and then they put them up all over campus. That’s always been part of it too.

I think it’s a nice tradition. It’s a way for guys and girls to show appreciation for each other, which feels meaningful. And it’s kind of fun. I think people genuinely like having a day like that. It’s already become semi-official at this point. Kind of like how in Japan, Valentine’s Day became this thing where girls give chocolate to guys — it grew into its own custom over time. I think this one will stick around too.

As for whether it goes beyond Tsinghua — I honestly don’t know. I can only speak to what I’ve seen on campus.”

Context: This account was shared in a casual recorded conversation with a college student who attended Tsinghua University. The informant spoke entirely in Mandarin, recalling these campus customs in a relaxed and reflective tone. The interviewer prompted the informant to share their own thoughts on the tradition and whether it might evolve further, which led to a brief comparative discussion touching on Japanese Valentine’s Day customs and the semi-official status these days have already taken on within the university community.

Analysis: The campus holidays described here — 女生节 on March 7th and 男生节 on November 10th — represent a grassroots form of calendar folklore, where unofficial commemorative days are created by students to mirror and playfully subvert existing holidays. Girls’ Day slots itself in just before the officially recognized International Women’s Day, reframing a political holiday into something more personal and celebratory among peers. Boys’ Day, meanwhile, carves out space the day before the wildly popular Singles’ Day shopping holiday, turning a commercial phenomenon into a moment of reciprocal social gesture between genders.

The banner-hanging tradition tied to Girls’ Day is especially worth noting — it transforms private sentiment into a public, communal performance, filling the campus with visible declarations of appreciation. This kind of collective display is a hallmark of student folk culture, where participation in the ritual matters as much as the content of the message itself.

The informant’s comparison to Japanese Valentine’s Day customs reflects an awareness of how gender-coded gift-giving traditions can evolve organically into something institutionalized over time. That these days have already achieved what the informant calls “semi-official” status at Tsinghua suggests they are well along that trajectory — beginning as informal student invention and gradually becoming part of the campus’s cultural calendar.