Date: 5th day of the 5th month of Lunar Calendar

​

Dragon Boat Festival 2019 falls on June 7 (Friday). China will have 3 days of holiday from Friday (June 7) to Sunday (June 9), and we will be back at work on Monday , June 10.

​

When we think about the Dragon Boat Festival, most of us think of dragon boat races, zongzi (stuffed glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves), and the beating of the drums during the races themselves. 

​

赛龙舟

Dragon boat racing 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.

Dragon boat racing is the most important activity during the Dragon Boat Festival.

The wooden boats are shaped and decorated in the form of a Chinese dragon. The boat size varies by region. Generally it is about 20–35 meters in length and needs 30–60 people to paddle it.

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.

​

吃粽子

Zongzi (粽子zòngzi /dzong-dzuh/) is the most traditional Dragon Boat Festival food. It is related to Qu Yuan commemoration, as the legend says that lumps of rice were thrown into the river to stop fish eating his drowned body.

Zongzi

They are a kind of sticky rice dumpling made of glutinous rice filled with meats, beans, and other fillings.

Zongzi is wrapped in triangle or rectangle shapes in bamboo or reed leaves, and tied with soaked stalks or colorful silky cords.

The flavors of zongzi are usually different from one region to another across China.

​

​屈原

Qu Yuan (340–278 BC) was a patriotic poet and exiled official during the Warring States Period of ancient China.

He drowned himself in the Miluo River on the 5th day of the 5th Chinese lunar month, when his beloved Chu State fell to the State of Qin.

Local people desperately tried to save Qu Yuan or recover his body, to no avail.

In order to commemorate Qu Yuan, every fifth day of the fifth lunar month people beat drums and paddle out in boats on the river as they once did to keep fish and evil spirits away from his body.