The Dragon Boat Festival is a nationally recognized holiday in China celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the lunar calendar. It is a century-old festival that dates back to 2,000 years ago! It is celebrated to honor Qu Yuan, a Chinese writer. It is said that Qu Yuan was an advisor to the emperor during the Warring States period. After he was exiled, he drowned himself in the river to avoid seeing China being taken over by the Qin. As with all Chinese holidays and festivals, there are many different traditions and customs followed to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival:
1.) Eating Sticky Rice (粽子)
During the Dragon Boat Festival, many people eat sticky rice dumplings filled with various things. The sticky rice is wrapped in bamboo leaves. It is said that people started throwing sticky rice into the river so that the fish wouldn’t eat Qu Yuan’s body.
2.) Drinking Realgar Wine (雄黄酒)
During Dragon Boat Festival, many people also drink realgar wine. It is said to ward off diseases. During ancient times, realgar wine was said to ward off evil spirits, so it became a tradition to drink some during the Dragon Boat Festival.
3.) Racing Dragon Boats (龙舟赛)
The most famous tradition, racing dragon boats has become an annual event during the Dragon Boat Festival. It is said that after Qu Yuan drowned himself, people would quickly row their boats out to the river to recover his body. Today, it has become a very popular sporting event in China. It is named after the shape of the boat being a dragon’s head. There is one person in the front of the boat beating a drum, while everybody else rows. The objective is to row faster to the finish line before the other teams.
Hopefully, you learned some interesting facts about one of China’s most popular holidays, Dragon Boat Festival. This year, Dragon Boat Festival falls on May 30th. If you get a chance, watch a dragon boat race while enjoying some delicious sticky rice. Until next time, 再见！
References:
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/china/dragon-boat-festival
http://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/dragon-boat-festival.htm
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/holidays/dragon-boat.htm