Customs and Festivals in Chinese-Speaking Communities
Read Chinese characters for festivals and their customs: Chinese New Year, the Mid-autumn festival and Christmas, and the customs of inviting guests and giving presents.
Practise it before the paper, not after
Free, interactive practice on the words and structures the examiner keeps asking for.
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Festivals in Chinese
Chinese-speaking communities celebrate festivals like Chinese New Year and the Mid-autumn festival, as well as Christmas, and they share customs like giving presents.
Each example is a Chinese word with its English meaning. A full sentence looks like this: 我喜欢春节 (wǒ xǐhuān chūnjié), meaning I like Chinese New Year.
Words for celebrating
Start with four words that come up at almost any festival.
Match each festival word
- 中秋节
- 圣诞节
- 饺子
- 月饼
- the Mid-autumn festival
- Christmas
- dumplings
- moon cake
Characters build meaning
Chinese characters often join smaller meanings. 月 means moon and 饼 means cake, so 月饼 (yuèbǐng) means a moon cake, eaten at the Mid-autumn festival. Look for a character you know inside a longer word, and the meaning often becomes clear.
Which means Chinese New Year?
Which Chinese word means Chinese New Year?
- 春节
- 中秋节
- 圣诞节
- 节日
Spot the two customs
Select the TWO words that are customs people do at festivals.
- 红包
- 舞狮
- 客人
- 礼物
Match each celebration action
- 送礼物
- 感谢
- 请
- 邀请
- to give a present
- to thank
- to invite
- an invitation
At Chinese New Year
Reading the whole word tells you what happens at a celebration. Here are more words to read.
Find the two festivals
Tap the TWO words that are festivals.
- 春节, Chinese New Year
- 舞狮, the lion dance
- 中秋节, the Mid-autumn festival
- 月饼, moon cake
Reading a sentence
Now read a full Chinese sentence:
我送礼物 (wǒ sòng lǐwù) = "I give presents". Three parts: 我 (wǒ, "I"), 送 (sòng, "to give"), then 礼物 (lǐwù, "a present"). The order I - give - present is close to English.
What does it say?
In 我送礼物 (wǒ sòng lǐwù), what does the person do?
- They give presents
- They receive presents
- They thank a guest
- They invite a friend
Host a celebration
Put the steps of hosting a festival celebration into a sensible order.
- Invite your guests
- Cook the festival food
- Welcome your guests
- Give and receive presents
- Thank everyone for coming
Complete the festival facts
The most important festival is 春节, Chinese New _____. At it, children are given red _____. A cake eaten at the Mid-autumn festival is a moon _____. A person you invite to a celebration is a _____. A thing you give them is a _____.
Read the notice
Use what you know to read each Chinese word on a notice. Choose each time.
- A poster celebrates 春节 (chūnjié). What festival is it?
- A child is given a 红包 (hóngbāo). What is it?
- A shop sells 月饼 (yuèbǐng) in autumn. What is it?
Write about a festival
In English, write about a festival you or your community celebrate, its customs, and some of the Chinese words. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.
- Name a festival and its Chinese word
- Describe two customs people follow at it
- Name one festival food, with its Chinese word
- Write one full Chinese sentence with 我, for example 我喜欢春节