The Dragon Boat Festival in China
Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is also known as DuanwuFestival , which falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month every year. With a long history of over 2000 years, dating back to the Warring States Period (B.C 403 — B.C 221), Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most three important lunar festivals in China, along with Spring Festival and Mid-autumn Festival.
For celebrating this festival, there is a three-day holiday in China since 2008. It is also the first traditional Chinese festival listed on the World’s Intangible Cultural Heritages. In 2016, Chinese Dragon Boat Festival falls on June 5, which is Wednesday.
Legend
Dragon Boat Racing
Dragon Boat Racing is the major custom to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival. When Qu Yuan drowned himself into the river, many fishermen rode their boats on the river, trying to find his body. They tried so hard that most even rode boats to Dongting Lake. Though they failed to make it, every year later locals would ride dragon boats for commemorating Qu Yuan, hoping to disperse creatures under the river in this way.
In the late Qing Dynasty (1736), Taiwan started to hold dragon boat racing match and later the activity become popular in Hong Kong, too. At the same time, this interesting race was also spread to Chinese neighboring countries like Japan and Vietnam.
In 1991, the 1st International Dragon Boat Festival was held in Yueyang City, Hunan Province, which is the second hometown of Qu Yuan. The celebration activities includes worshiping the dragon head and dragon boat racing match. After that, the Hunan Province holds the International Dragon Boat Festival regularly.
Eating Zongzi
After Qu Yuan committed suicide in Miluo River, fishermen tried hard to find his body but failed. Some locals threw rice rolls, eggs and meat into the river to feed creatures under the river, hoping they wouldn’t eat the body of Qu Yuan. Years later people used leaves to roll the rice rolls and tightened them with colorful threads, which is known as Zongzi (棕子).
Now eating Zongzi has become an indispensable part of Dragon Boat Festival celebration. In southern China almost every household will eat zongzi when the festival comes. People can also buy zongzi in the stores or from street vendors
Hanging Mugwort Leaves and Calamus
When Dragon Boat Festival comes, most households will sweep the houses and the yards. Then they will hang mugwort leaves and calamus. Usually the plants are hung on the doorframes and the main hall. In some areas people will use mugwort leaves and calamus to make flowers circles or tiger-shape, which are believed to be able to drive out the disease miasma.
Wearing Sachets
During Dragon Boat Festival, usually kids would wear sachets (佩香囊) in the countryside areas. It is believed that by doing so it helps driving out the evil spirit and avoiding illness. At the same time, people think that kids with sachets look more adorable.
Inside the sachets are cinnabar, realgar and aromatic odor. The shapes of sachets vary and they are strung together. In some cities of southern China, some young people will also use sachets to express their affections for each other.
