Menu
EugeneThePanda.com
  • Brick Panda
  • Traveling Panda
  • Hungry Panda
  • Me Panda
  • About The Panda
EugeneThePanda.com

Dragon Boat Festival

Posted on June 25, 2020January 23, 2022

Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional holiday originated in China and occurs near the summer solstice. The festival now occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional Chinese calendar, which is the source of the festival’s alternative name, the Double Fifth Festival.

Why is the Dragon Boat Festival celebrated?  

Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet in China’s Warring States Period (475 – 221 BC), sacrificed himself for his country on the fifth day of May in the lunar calendar, so it is widely accepted that Duanwu Festival is observed to commemorate him. Besides, people also celebrate the day to commemorate Wu Zixu, a statesman of the late Spring and Autumn Period (770 – 476 BC), and the filial daughter, Cao E of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 – 220 AD). In Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces, people even attach the festival to the modern poet, Qiu Jin, who was martyred for revolutionary activities. 

Zongzi is the most important food of the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.

Also known as sticky rice dumplings, it got popular when people threw zongzi into the Miluo River to protect Qu Yuan’s body from being gnawed by fish. Nowadays, Zongzi comes in great variety in terms of shapes and flavors. Wufangzhai Zongzi, Daoxiangcun Zongzi and Godly Zongzi are famous brands in China. When the festival day is approaching, Chinese will buy Zongzi, or make some on their own. They will also give them out to relatives, friends and employees as the Dragon Boat Festival gifts. 

Dragon boat race is a time-honored custom of the festival.

The race is derived from worshiping activities for totem pole dragons in ancient China, and it was fixed as a practice to commemorate Qu Yuan later. With a history over 2,000 years, it has become an international sporting event. 

9 Fun Dragon Boat Festival Facts

 1. If it rains on the festival day, it would be an omen for a poor harvest, whereas a sunny day indicates a flourishing and prosperous year in any aspects of life.

 2. To avoid the evil spirits, a married daughter will return to her parents’ home and spend the festival with their families together.

 3. Dragon Boat Festival was actually a Health Day in the past, for people would clean their house and take an herb water bath which helped to prevent against skin diseases.

 4. Before the Qin Dynasty (221 – 207 BC), the fifth day of the fifth lunar month was regarded as an evil day, and Chinese people would hang calamus and mugwort leaves on their door frame to dispel away pests and other poisonous animals, such as snakes, scorpions, centipedes, geckos and toads. Carrying perfume pouches could also protect one from insect bites and other skin problems. 

 5. Drinking realgar wine during the festival day is an old custom, and kids’ cheek and forehead will also be rubbed with the liquid. In fact, there are tiny toxins in the wine, so it is not proper to over drink or drink after it is heated.

 6. According to the superstition, the water in a well is poisonous on that day, so people should prepare enough water in advance and avoid drawing water from a well in Duanwu Festival.

 7. What do you eat on the Dragon Boat Festival apart from Zongzi? People also customarily have eels, eggs boiled with garlic and tea, Jiandui (a kind of fried glutinous rice cakes) and Dagao Cakes(made by hammering the boiled sticky rice into paste).

See more about Dragon Boat Festival Food

 8. An old tradition is that people living in rural areas would go to pick the herb medicine on the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, for it is believed that herbs collected on that day have the best medical effect.

 9. Wearing a five-color string bracelet is also a popular tradition for kids, which can be an appeal to prosperity and good health. The five colors are composed of green, white, yellow, red and black. They need to cast it away in the first rain after the Dragon Boat Festival

Dates

The Gregorian calendar is not exact, but it usually falls in June. Hereunder is a table of festival dates for recent years.

2019June 7thFriday
2020June 25thThursday
2021June 14thMonday
2022June 3rdFriday
2023June 22ndThursday
2024June 10thMonday

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Categories

  • Food
    • Food Asia
    • Food Beverage
    • Food Dessert
    • Food Favorite
    • Food Home Cooking
    • Food Irvine
    • Food Las Vegas
    • Food Los Angeles
    • Food Michelin
    • Food Presentation
    • Food Recipes
    • Food San Diego
    • Food Science
    • Food Taiwan
    • Food Unique
    • Food Vegetarian
    • Food World
  • Home
    • Bed & Bath
    • Designer
    • Garden
    • Home
    • Home Improvement
    • Kitchen
    • Office
    • Product Review
  • Me
    • Art
    • Auto
    • Buddhism
    • Cartoon
    • Chinese
    • Family
    • Finance
    • Health
    • History
    • Humor
    • Lego
    • Movie
    • Music
    • News
    • Real Estate
    • San Diego
    • Taiwan
    • Technology
    • Values
  • Travel
    • Austria
    • Bahamas
    • California
    • China
    • Czech Republic
    • England
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Haiti
    • Hungary
    • India
    • Italy
    • Jamaica
    • Japan
    • Malaysia
    • Mexico
    • Nepal
    • South Korea
    • Taiwan
    • USA
  • Uncategorized

Tags

2012 Italy 2012 London 2012 Paris 2013 Taiwan 2015 Colorado 2015 Cruise 2015 Nebraska Christmas 2015 Southwest 2015 Yosemite 2016 Malaysia 2016 Seattle 2016 Taiwan 2017 Atlanta 2017 Canyon 2017 Desert 2017 Europe Christmas 2017 Washington DC 2018 Hong Kong 2018 India 2018 Jiang Nan 2018 Nebraska 2018 New York City 2018 Seoul 2018 Taiwan 2018 Washington DC 2018 Yunnan 2019 Greece 2020 Taiwan 2021 Las Vegas 2022 Caribbean Cruise 2023 Kyoto Osaka 2023 Taiwan

Archives

  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • April 2019

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
©2025 EugeneThePanda.com | WordPress Theme by Superb WordPress Themes