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The wide range of ethnic groups and mix of religious beliefs
has left Yunnan with so many festivals it would be impossible
to list them all here. Many festivals are based on the Chinese
lunar calendar and so have variable dates that relate to the
new and full moon. The following festivals are celebrated
throughout the province.
  Chinese
New Year - Like Christmas in the west, this is a time
for joyous family reunions, and exchanging gifts. Elaborate
meals are prepared, and there is an air of continuous celebration
which runs through until the Lantern festival. Falling on
the first day of the Lunar New Year, sometime between January
and February, this is the longest and most important festival
in China. With the exception of movie theatres and restaurants,
most businesses close down for an entire week. Evil spirits
are said to wander freely at this time, and used to be kept
at bay by thousands of exploding firecrackers. However, due
to injury and fires, this fun has now been curtailed with
the introduction of explosive tape recordings.
Lantern
Festival - Celebrated on the 15th day of the Lunar
New Year, this dates back to ancient China, when people searched
for heavenly spirits by lantern light. This has developed
into a full festival with acrobatic displays, lion and dragon
dances, folk art performances, temple processions, and houses
are gaily decorated with lanterns and coloured streamers.
Pure
Brightness Day - In the third lunar month, the Ching Ming
Festival is held to honour ancestors, make offerings, and
clean their graves. Kite-flying, Chinese football, dog races,
and other amusements add to the day's festive feel.
 Dragon
Boat Festival - On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month
a great celebration, featuring dragon boat races, takes place.
Teams of dragon boats, similar to long canoes, train for weeks
for the colourful and exciting contests. The day - originally
in commemoration of the great Chinese poet, Qu Yuan, who lived
over 2,000 years ago - is also marked with feasts and music.
Mid-Autumn
Festival - Celebrating the harvest moon, on the
15th day of the 8th lunar month, this festival is marked by
family reunions, moon gazing, and eating traditional moon
cakes - a round pastry stuffed with red bean paste, egg yolk,
or fruit.
Ghost
Day - It is believed that, on the first day of the seventh
lunar month, ghosts are allowed out to re-enter the world
of the living for one more day of fun. To ensure the spectral
visitors enjoy themselves lavish offerings are made, paper
money burned, and colourful operas performed. The climax is
the Chong Yang Festival on the 15th of the month, when Taoist
and Buddhist priests conduct chanting ceremonies for the ghosts
and sacrificial feasts are laid out in temples.
Dragon
& Lion Dances - Though they were originally used
to stop the spread of epidemics, and to pray for rain, colourful
and noisy dragon and lion dances now form a part of many festivals
and celebrations. Traditional Chinese festivals are an occasion
to ward off evil spirits and enjoy sumptuous feasts with reunited
family members.
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