The Flower Festival, also known as Cháo Huā Jié or the Birthday of All Flowers, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrating the blossoming of spring and the rejuvenation of all things in nature. This festival embodies people's love and anticipation for spring, as well as their reverence for the natural world. The exact date of the festival varies by region, commonly observed on either the second day of the second lunar month, the twelfth, the fifteenth, or the twenty-fifth, with the twelfth and the fifteenth being more prevalent.
Across different locales, the celebrations take on diverse forms but generally involve flower appreciation, spring outings, paying homage to the flower deities, decorating trees with red ribbons (known as "appreciating red"), organizing flower markets, preparing flower cakes, and engaging in poetry composition, among other customs.
The origin of the "Flower Festival" is rooted in a charming legend which recounts how the Flower Fairy, enchanted by the persistent beauty of flowers in Dali, ordered all flowers to converge on a specific day in the second lunar month to display their splendor, rewarding the finest among them. To commemorate this grand gathering of flowers, the Bai ethnic group established the "Flower Tide Festival" or "Morning Flower Festival."
Over time, the Flower Festival has evolved into a comprehensive celebration that integrates nature worship, folk culture, and literary arts. It not only showcases the Chinese appreciation for natural beauty but also embodies the traditional philosophy of harmony between humans and nature. While the festival may not be as widely recognized or lavishly celebrated in modern times as in ancient days, some regions and communities continue to uphold its traditions through various activities, preserving and promoting this cultural heritage.