Chinese festivals follow a calendar of their own, and each one brings its own food, greetings, and habits. Most fall on lunar dates, so the Western date shifts every year. HSK 4 adds 1,000 new words, bringing the total to 2,000 — enough to read a festival introduction without a dictionary.
Learn each festival as a small package: a date, a food, a greeting, and one custom.
春节 Spring Festival
The biggest festival of the year. It falls on the first day of the lunar calendar, usually in late January or February.
- 吃饺子 eat dumplings
- 放鞭炮 set off firecrackers
- 红包 red envelopes of money
- 回家过年 return home for the new year
The greeting is 新年快乐 (Xīnnián kuàilè) — Happy New Year.
元宵节 Lantern Festival
Fifteen days after Spring Festival, on the first full moon of the year.
- 汤圆 sweet rice balls
- 看花灯 look at lanterns
- 猜灯谜 guess lantern riddles
清明节 Qingming
A day for visiting family graves, usually in early April. It is quiet rather than festive. People clean the graves, leave flowers, and remember relatives who have died.
端午节 Dragon Boat Festival
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
- 粽子 sticky rice wrapped in leaves
- 赛龙舟 dragon boat races
The festival is linked to the poet 屈原 (Qū Yuán), who lived more than two thousand years ago.
中秋节 Mid-Autumn Festival
On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, when the moon is full.
- 月饼 mooncakes
- 赏月 admire the moon
- 团圆 family reunion
Mooncakes are given as gifts. Sharing one with family is the point of the day.
Talking About a Festival
HSK 4 introduces 不仅……而且…… for adding a second point, which fits festival descriptions well.
Dates Move Every Year
Only 清明节 sits on the solar calendar, around 4 or 5 April. The others follow the lunar calendar, so check the year before you make plans.
Two Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Calling every festival 节快乐
新年快乐 and 中秋节快乐 both work. 清明节 is a day of remembrance, so a cheerful greeting sounds wrong there.
Mistake 2: Translating the names word by word
端午节 is not "Dragon Boat Festival" in any literal sense. Learn the Chinese name as a single unit.
国庆节 National Day
On 1 October, China marks the founding of the People's Republic. It sits on the solar calendar, so the date never moves.
- 放假 to have time off
- 七天假期 a seven-day holiday
- 旅游 (lǚyóu) to travel
Trains and flights fill up weeks ahead. Book early if you plan to travel.
Gifts and Greetings
What you bring matters as much as what you say.
- 水果 fruit — always a safe gift
- 茶叶 tea — always a safe gift
- 礼物 (lǐwù) gift
- 祝福 (zhùfú) to wish someone well
Avoid clocks and sharp objects. Both carry unlucky associations. Fruit and tea are never wrong.
Describing a Festival You Attended
还 (hái) adds a second action — and also. It is the easiest way to lengthen a sentence without making it harder.
What HSK 4 Actually Tests
HSK 4 has 70 questions and takes about 85 minutes. Listening carries 32 questions, reading 32, and writing 6 tasks in 25 minutes. The section switches from 书写 to 写作 at this level, so answers are short compositions rather than single characters.
Cultural passages appear in the reading section. Knowing the festivals gives you context before you read the questions.
When these words feel automatic, try a free HSK 4 practice test and browse the other HSK 4 study guides. For another cultural topic at this level, see the Chinese dragon.
How to Practise
Write two sentences about each festival: one for the date, one for the food. Then say them aloud without looking.