Dragon Boat Festival holiday in China ― Date, History, and Details
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Let's dive deeper into learning more about the history of Dragon Boat Festival holiday in China and why people celebrate or observe it.
History of Dragon Boat Festival holiday in China and How to Celebrate/ Observe It
The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most important traditional holidays in China. It is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which usually falls in late May or early June. The festival has been celebrated for more than 2,000 years and is a way to commemorate the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar Qu Yuan.
The main activity during the Dragon Boat Festival is the dragon boat race. Teams of paddlers race against each other, while drummers beat drums to keep the rhythm. At the end of the race, the winning team is awarded prizes such as rice dumplings, fruits, and wine. In addition to the races, people also hang calamus and mugwort leaves, which are believed to ward off evil spirits, and fly kites to celebrate the holiday.
To observe the Dragon Boat Festival, people traditionally eat zongzi, which are sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. They can be filled with different ingredients such as beans, meat, and vegetables. People also drink realgar wine, which is believed to have medicinal properties, and wear fragrant sachets filled with herbs and spices around their necks to ward off diseases. Finally, many people visit temples to pay their respects to Qu Yuan and make offerings.