April 2005

China Internet Information Center

April 2005


					1	2

3	4	5 Pure Brightness	6	7	8	9 1st/3rd mo.

10	11	12	13	14	15	16

17	18	19	20 Grain Rain	21	22	23 15th/3rd mo.

Holidays and Observances:

5: Pure Brightness Festival. Marks the 5th seasonal division point and usually falls on April 5 or 6; a traditional festival for commemorating the dead.

23: Flower Fair of the Nu ethnic group (also called Fairy Maiden's Festival) held on the 15th day of the 3rd lunar month. The Nu people living around Gongshan, Nujiang Prefecture, Yunnan Province, dress in costumes adorned with flowers and offer blossoms to the stone statue in the Fairy Maiden Cave on Mount Gaoligong. A party inside the cave featuring food and drink, and song and dance follows.

Water-Sprinkling Festival, the New Year celebration of the Dai ethnic group in Yunnan, and their most splendid festival. The celebration usually starts 10 days after Pure Brightness, with people sprinkling water over each other as a token of blessing. Among the young, the sprinkling often escalates into splashing and sometimes complete drenching. Other activities include dragon boat racing and fireworks.

Annual Fair of the Bai People, held at the foot of Diancang Mountain to the west of Dali city in Yunnan. Primarily a trading fair that lasts from the 15th to the 20th of the 3rd lunar month, peripheral activities include horseracing, archery contests, and music and dance performances.

Notes:

1. In the traditional calendar, the new moon indicates the first day of a lunar month; the full moon marks the 15th day.

2. Dates in red are official holidays. To give workers three week-long holidays during the year, the Saturday and Sunday immediately preceding or following the extended holiday are official workdays. In 2005, there are official work weekends in February and October, and one divided between late April and early May.

3. The 24 Seasonal Division Points:

	Order & Name of Seasonal Division Point	Sun's Position at Ecliptic	Gregorian Calendar Date
Spring	1.Beginning of Spring 2.Rain Water 3.Waking of Insects 4.Vernal Equinox 5.Pure Brightness 6.Grain Rain	315° 330° 345° 0° 15° 30°	4 or 5 February 19 or 20 February 5 or 6 March 20 or 21 March 5 or 6 April 20 or 21 April
Summer	7.Beginning of Summer 8.Grain Budding 9.Grain in Ear 10.Summer Solstice 11.Slight Heat 12.Great Heat	45° 60° 75° 90° 105° 120°	5 or 6 May 21 or 22 May 6 or 7 June 21 or 22 June 7 or 8 July 23 or 24 July
Autumn	13.Beginning of Autumn 14.Limit of Heat 15.White Dew 16.Autumnal Equinox 17.Cold Dew 18.Frost's Descent	135° 150° 165° 180° 195° 210°	7 or 8 August 23 or 24 August 7 or 8 September 23 or 24 September 8 or 9 October 23 or 24 October
Winter	19.Beginning of Winter 20.Slight Snow 21.Great Snow 22.Winter Solstice 23.Slight Cold 24.Great Cold	225° 240° 255° 270° 285° 300°	7 or 8 November 23 or 22 November 7 or 8 December 22 or 23 December 5 or 6 January 20 or 21 January