164 CultureShock! China
very unlucky. In order to assure luck, many wear jade bangles
on their left wrist so that it touches the blood going to the
heart. Wearing red string is also meant to ensure luck.Lantern Festival (Yuanxiao Jie)
This occurs 15 days after the Chinese New Year. Although not
a public holiday, it is a time of colourful, joyful celebration
when people make or buy paper lanterns and walk around
the streets in the evening holding them. This 15th day is
the first night when people can see a full moon in the lunar
new year. According to the Chinese tradition, at the very
beginning of a new year when there is a bright full moon
hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colourful
lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. It is customary
at that time for people to eat tang yuan (glutinous rice ball)
together with their families.Guanyin’s Birthday (Guan Shi Yin Sheng Ri)
The birthday of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, is a good time
to visit Daoist temples. Guanyin’s birthday is on the 19th day
of the second moon. It falls in March or April.Tomb Sweeping Day (Qing Ming Jie)
A day for worshipping ancestors: people visit the graves
of their departed relatives and clean the grave sites. They