The Celebration of Dragon Boat Festival
- 2023/06/21 14:25:23
The Dragon Boat Festival, also called Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese calendar. In 2023, Dragon Boat Festival falls on June 22nd (Thursday). China will have 3 days of public holiday from Thursday (June 22nd) to Saturday (June 24th).
Dragon Boat Festival customs can be roughly divided into two categories. One is to worship the god of dragon and heroes, such as Qu Yuan. For thousands of years, the festival has been marked by eating Zongzi (glutinous rice wrapped to form a pyramid using bamboo or reed leaves) and racing dragon boats.
Another category aims to fend off evils and keep people healthy. The activities include bathing in herbal concoctions, hanging wormwood and calamus, and drinking realgar wine.
Dragon boat racing is the most important activity of the Dragon Boat Festival. It is said to originate from the legend of people paddling out on boats to seek the body of patriotic poet Qu Yuan (343–278 BC), who drowned himself in a River.
There is another explanation. It is believed that dragon boat racing can be traced back to over 2,000 years ago, when it was a way to worship the Dragon God or Water God.
The wooden boats are shaped and decorated in the form of a Chinese dragon. The boats' size varies by region and usually need 30–60 people to paddle them. During the races, dragon boat teams paddle harmoniously and hurriedly, accompanied by the sound of beating drums. It is said that the winning team will have good luck and a happy life in the following year.
