Customs and Festivals

Customs

习俗 (xí sú): Customs
礼品 (lǐpǐn): Gift
拜访 (bàifǎng): Visit
庆祝 (qìngzhù): Celebrate/Celebration
招待 (zhāodài): Entertain/Host
农历新年 (nónglì xīnnián): Chinese New Year
中秋节 (zhōngqiū jié): Mid-Autumn Festival
端午节 (duānwǔ jié): Dragon Boat Festival

Remember that each of these customs have specific rituals, such as giving 红包 (hóngbāo): Red envelopes during 农历新年 (nónglì xīnnián), and eating 月饼 (yuèbǐng): Mooncakes during 中秋节 (zhōngqiū jié).

Festivals

节日 (jiérì): Holidays/Festivals
春节 (chūn jié): Spring Festival
元宵节 (yuán xiāo jié): Lantern Festival
清明节 (qīngmíng jié): Qingming Festival
五一劳动节 (wǔyī láodòng jié): May Day/Labour Day
国庆节 (guóqìng jié): National Day
除夕 (chúxì): New Year’s Eve

The understanding of Chinese holidays and festivals is an important aspect of Chinese culture. For instance, on 元宵节 (yuán xiāo jié) people traditionally eat 汤圆 (tāng yúan): Sweet rice balls and carry lanterns to celebrate.

Dialogue and Vocabulary Use

Practising dialogue related to customs and festivals can greatly aid your proficiency. For instance:

你最喜欢哪个中国节日? (nǐ zuì xǐhuān nǎge zhōngguó jiérì?): Which Chinese festival is your favourite?
我最喜欢中秋节，因为我喜欢吃月饼 (wǒ zuì xǐhuān zhōngqiū jié, yīnwèi wǒ xǐhuān chī yuèbǐng): I love the Mid Autumn festival most, because I like to eat mooncakes.

Repeating these phrases and incorporating the vocabulary into regular conversation will enhance your spoken Mandarin skills and aid cultural understanding. Essential for and beyond the language classroom.