Local folk customs: Hangzhou's southern folk customs are a blending with northern customs due to the large migration of people which occurred when the emperors of the Song Dynasty fled south from Henan Province. People in Hangzhou have cakes made of glutinous rice during the Chinese New Year and hold a lantern show during the Lantern Festival which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. They pay particular respect to the dead during the Clear and Bright Festival in April; Buddhist pilgrims come from all over China for this event. They hold boat races during the Dragon Boat Race Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. They watch the tide at the Qiantang River in August and climb to any of city's heights during the Double Ninth Festival on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. Finally, the whole family gets together and rings the bell for New Year's Eve.

Some new folk customs have also come into being. For example, retired people like to get together to show their birds at Wushan!