Yiguandao communities move within the broader rhythm of the Chinese ritual year, while infusing those shared observances with their own soteriological and ethical emphases. Adherents commonly keep the major traditional festivals such as Chinese New Year, Qingming (Tomb Sweeping Festival), Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Winter Solstice. These days are not merely cultural markers; they become occasions for vegetarian feasts, renewed moral resolve, ancestor remembrance, and outreach to the wider public. In many temples, the same festivals that emphasize family reunion and seasonal change are reinterpreted in light of universal salvation and the harmonization of the “Three Teachings.” In this way, the ordinary calendar of Chinese society is subtly reoriented toward spiritual cultivation and compassionate service.

Alongside these widely shared festivals, Yiguandao also honors a series of religious commemorative days rooted in Buddhist and Taoist devotion as well as Confucian reverence for sages. The birthdays and holy days of Guanyin are especially prominent, with observances on the 19th day of the 2nd, 6th, and 9th lunar months, marked by vegetarian vows, chanting, and repentance rituals. The birthday of Confucius is likewise observed as a time to stress moral cultivation, respect for teachers, and study of the classics. Many branches also commemorate deities and immortals such as Maitreya Buddha and other popular figures, though the specific dates and emphases can vary from lineage to lineage. What unites these observances is a shared intention to integrate devotion, ethical refinement, and doctrinal teaching.

Yiguandao-specific holy days add another layer to this liturgical tapestry. Founders and patriarchs, especially Zhang Tianran and Sun Suzhen, are remembered on their birthdays and death anniversaries with memorial services, recounting of their lives, and renewed vows to continue their mission. Some temples also mark anniversaries of their own founding or of important transmissions, often expressed through large vegetarian banquets, collective repentance, and rituals directed toward the welfare of both the living and the deceased. Regular observances on the 1st and 15th days of the lunar month, as well as daily practices of vegetarianism, incense offering, and scripture recitation, further weave festival time into the fabric of ordinary life. Through this layered calendar, Yiguandao seeks to transform cyclical time into a continuous opportunity for cultivation, gratitude, and the widening of compassion.