Traditions and Customs
5 min readShanghai is located in the south of the lowest reaches of the Yangtze River，so its customs have much in common with those of other places in that area.Ever since Shanghai was opened as a port for foreign trade，its water transport gradually became busy.Shanghai has become a densely-populated city in which people from many other provinces and countries live in harmony.The customs there have been enriched and Shanghai has developed its own characteristics.
As it was developed from a small fishing village，Shanghai strived to keep many of its Chinese folk customs；thus there are several traditional festivals andactivities still to be seen there such as New Year Bell Striking，Yuyuan Lantern Festival and Longhua Temple Fair.
Besides its modern achievements，Shanghai boasts attractive natural scenery and a special cultural foundation.Therefore a number of modern festivals are held here to show them；for example，Shanghai Peachblossom Festival，International Tea Culture Festival，International Flower Festival，Television Festival，International Arts Festival and Shanghai Tourism Festival.
Lunar New Year’s Eve，or”the 30th of December，”means the last day or night of the lunar year，and that night is also called the Great New Year’s Eve.The Chinese character“chú xī”means“to eliminate，”therefore that night also means”to eliminate a year.”The 23rd of December of lunar calendar is the Kitchen Day，and people offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God.24th of December is the”Minor New Year’s Day”，and from that day through the lunar New Year’s Eve，every household has a general cleaning.They will also do Spring Festival shopping.Pigs and sheep are butchered in the countryside，and people will thresh and polish sticky rice，make all kinds of dim sum and cured meat.New Year pictures are also put up in and out of the houses.People in town often buy some flowers like narcissus，wintersweet or nandina，and put them in vases so as to add to the atmosphere of the festival.When night falls，all family members gather together and eat New Year’s Dinner，or the”Family Reunion Dinner，”in which a big variety of dishes are served.
Staying up all night，citizens usually watch TV at home and wait “to see the Old Year out and the New Year in.”When the bell tolls for the New Year，firecrackers are let off to welcome the new spring.For security’s sake，firecrackers are banned in town.
The Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival for Chinese people.January 1st of the lunar calendar is the Chinese New Year.Early morning，people are well dressed and the whole family pays a visit to the elder generation.Peers send New Year greetings to each other.The senior members of a family will give money in a red envelope to the children as New Year gifts to congratulate on theirgrowth.In the afternoon of the New Year’s Day and the following two days，people will visit their relatives and friends，and many people have made use of modern technologies:they send regards to each other through videophones and the Internet.
On the 4th day of the New Year，many people buy fresh carp to welcome the God of Wealth，since the character“lǐ”（carp）sounds similar to“lì”（wealth），and a red carp with its head and tail lifted up look just like a gold ingot（sycee，Yuanbao）.All streets are busy during the first five days of the New Year，and people go on pilgrimage to the temples in an endless stream.
Stores are closed in the first three days of the New Year，and some are even closed till the fifth day，the only days for relaxation in a year for the staff.The God of Wealth is received on the fifth day，and people have a big meal that night.
January 15th is the Lantern Festival.People eat wontons in the day and rice dumplings in the evening.During the festival，large awnings are set up in old districts of Shanghai，and all kinds of lanterns together make a splendid view.Sailing boats with lanterns float in great numbers in the Huangpu River.Lanterns are also put up in the fields to anticipate a golden harvest.“Lantern Dragon Show”is a wonderful festival performance in western suburbs and Jiading Nanxiang.The performance is accompanied by gongs and drums，and sometimes there are dozens of lantern dragons pursuing a dragon ball.
During the Lantern Festival，women were supposed to cross three bridges.It is said that the family would get rid of all diseases if the women go across three big bridges at a night with bright moonlight.
This could be easily done since there were quite a few bridges in old Shanghai，among which the Lu Stone Bridge usually drew more attention.
During the Dragon Boat Festival in May，people eat zongzi，a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of sticky rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves.Calamus and garlics are hung on the doors to avoid evils.Realgar wine is served at noon and Chinese herbs like rhizome Atractylodes，Dahurian angelica roots and rue are burnt to fumigate the room.Realgar is powdered on children’s forehead to avoid heatstroke and other diseases.Zongzi，loquat，yellow croaker and garlic are the popular food in season.Watching dragon boat races is a popular program favored by most people.
Mid-Autumn Festival is the time to watch the moon.In old Shanghai many people loved to see the reflection of the moon in the river，and”Shiliang Night Moon”was counted as one of the eight sceneries in Shanghai.When the great tide comes on the 18th，many people go to see it in Dongcheng or Haining in Zhejiang province.In recent years，quite a few people have enjoyed various shows in the Shanghai Osmanthus Festival.
On September 9th，people make steamed Chongyang cakes with sugar and glutinous rice，and pinecakes are specially made inJiading and Chuansha.People also drink Chongyang wine and climb up high mountains to celebrate the festival.
