Local Festivals in Hainan

Huanhua Festival

Huanhua Festival

Date: the 15th day of the 1st lunar month
The Huanhua Festival is a flower exchanging festival, although in the past participants exchanged sticks of incense instead. Each year, locals exchange flowers with one another and wish each other happiness in the coming year. Roses are most popular, and are the most common flower traded during the day. Held in Qiongshan city, the festival focuses on friendship, wellness, and happiness.

Spring Dragon Festival

"The dragon lifts its head on the second day of the second lunar moth and large barns will be full and small ones will overflow." Hundreds of fishing boats gather together in Sanya's Dongtian Park to worship the Dragon King of the South China Sea and to celebrate this traditional folk festival on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month. It's traditional to also get a good haircut on this holiday!

Junpo Festival

Dates: the 9th to 19th day of the 2nd lunar month
Junpo Festival is a historic Hainan festival of the Li people celebrating the life and achievements of Madam Xian, who played a vital role in uniting and developing Hainan between 513 and 603 AD. The festival is divided into two parts, one celebrating local male gods, and one celebrating local female gods. Participants burn incense, kowtow, dance, walk on coals, and even pierce their cheeks with long metal rods in honor of the gods during Junpo Festival.

Coconut Festiva

Hainan International Coconut Festival

Date: the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month
The Hainan International Coconut Festival began in early April of 1992. The idea of the festival was to promote tourism and welcome people of all cultures to Hainan. Hainan has been known as The Coconut Island from ancient times, and this festval centers on teaching the history and culture of Hainan while learning and absorbing that of other nations. It is a comprehensive, large-scale, international commerce and cultural festival that is open to the public.The festival combines physical sports, touring, culture, customs, and trade.

Sanyuesan Festival

Date: the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month
Sanyuesan is a Li festival coinciding with the International Coconut Festival. There are campfire songs, bamboo dancing, dragon boat racing, archery contests, and opportunities for young Li men and women to court one another in attempt to find love and happiness. It's a great place to learn more about the traditional culture of the Li people.

Dragon Boat Festival

The traditional Dragon Boat Festival worships the ancient poet Qu Yuan (屈原) who drowned approximately 2300 years ago on the “double fifth”. This is why Dragon Boat festival is always held on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. In the festival, Hainan people eat traditional zongzi, race dragon boats, and fly kites like mainlanders and other Asian people do. They also go to the rivers and oceans, and splash each other with “Dragon Water” to pray for health and wealth for the whole year.

Tianya Haijiao Joy Festival/Danzhou Folk Song Festival

Date: the 15th day of the 8th lunar month (Mid-Autumn Day)
The Tianya Haijiao Joy Festival is a wonderful family festival. Held in Autumn, the festival is celebrated at Tianya Haijiao – Also known as The End of the Earth. Throughout the day, attendees enjoy dance performances, eat moon cakes, see folk lantern displays, and sing mountain songs all while observing the moon. The Danzhou Folk Song Festival is very similar. Also held in Autumn, the festival focuses on the moon, and includes lighting lanterns and setting off fireworks.

Hainan Joy Festival

Hainan Joy Festival

Dates: the last 2-3 weeks of November
Taking place in late November, the Hainan Joy Festival is all about joyfulness. It is held in a different location around Hainan every year. An elaborate opening ceremony kicks off the festivity. The performance includes drumming, dancing, and song performances. The show is followed by a parade with floats and hundreds of celebreties, fireworks and a street party lasting late into the night.

Nanshan Longevity Festival

Date: the 9th day of the 9th lunar month (Chongyang Festival in China)
Living in Hainan is great for your health, and Hainan residents are some of the most long-lived in the world. The Nanshan Longevity Festival celebrates Hainan's oldest men and women. At the festival, large photos of the elderly are put on display, awards are given to the oldest living Hainanese, and those over 100 years old hike up the mountain! There are seminars on longevity and contests with games and prizes for all.

International Wedding Celebration

Date: December
Held in Sanya's Tianyahaijiao, aka “The End of the Earth,” the International Wedding Celebration attracts couples from all over. Many participants have been married already for many years, and come to renew their vows or celebrate 10, 25, or even 50 years of marriage. Others are just starting out in their romantic journey. There is an opportunity for them to all say their vows at once, as well as many love-themed shows and activities to enjoy.

Water Splashing Festival

Seven Fairy Mountain Water Splashing Festival

Date: the 7th day of the 7th lunar month
Held in Baoting, the Water Splashing Festival begins with a ceremony in the center of town, and then erupts into pandemonium as the entire town plus hundreds of tourists all vie to soak each other with water. With squirt guns, dippers, and buckets, everyone is armed and there is no one left unsoaked during this chaotic water fight that lasts all day. It's a good idea to keep your valuables in a water-proof bag and have a dry change of clothes ready! Bathing suits are great attire, but beware of wearing anything that could be ruined or become see-through when wet.