What is the story behind the Dragon Boat Festival?

Its origins can be traced to southern China, and festivities include boat races and eating rice dumplings. The festival had evolved from the practice of revering the river dragon, to the commemoration of Qu Yuan, a third-century poet and political figure of the state of Chu in ancient China.

Is Dragon Boat Festival the same day every year?

In Gregorian calendar, it varies every year, generally falling in June and in a very few years in late May. The dragon boat holiday is 3 days long. In 2022, the festival date is June 3 and the holiday lasts from June 3 to 5. In 2023, it falls on June 22 and the holiday is June 22 to 24.

Where is the Dragon Boat Festival celebrated?

Mainland China
The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and elsewhere around the world. The people of China generally receive a three-day break from work in order to celebrate with friends and family.

What do they wear at the Dragon Boat Festival?

Wearing sachets in Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese culture convention thorough China. Every Dragon Boat Festival, especially women and children wear sachets. Maybe this is a different way to pay the martrs to Qu Yuan and mourn over Qu Yuan’s death.

Why do we eat zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival?

Zongzi and Dragon Boat Festival help transmit the reverence of dragons and the active yang energy associated with it to next generations. Eating Zongzi has become a symbolic act for Chinese people to express their homage of Qu Yuan’s patriotism, advocacy of tradition of filial piety, and admiration of dragon-worship.

When did the Dragon Boat Festival start?

Many believe that the Dragon Boat Festival originated in ancient China based on the suicide of the poet and statesman of the Chu kingdom, Qu Yuan in 278 BCE. The festival commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar Qu Yuan, who was a loyal minister of the King of Chu in the third century BCE.

What food do they eat at the Dragon Boat Festival?

zongzi
The traditional food of the Dragon Boat Festival is zongzi. If you are of Cantonese descent, the pronunciation “joong” may be more familiar. They’re sometimes described as Chinese tamales. Instead of corn masa, they’re filled with sticky rice, and instead of corn husks, bamboo leaves/reed leaves are used.

Why do the Chinese eat rice dumplings?

The story begins with Qu Yuan, a patriotic statesman from ancient China who, once the kingdom he served fell, threw himself into a river in despair. It was said that the locals threw triangle-shaped rice dumplings into the river to stop the fish from eating his body.

Why do people drink realgar wine during Dragon Boat Festival?

In ancient times, people believed that realgar was an antidote for all poisons, and effective for killing insects and driving away evil spirits. So everyone would drink some realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu.