The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. It is the first Chinese festival enlisted as one of the World Intangible Cultural Heritages. Now Let's learn more about this festival.
1. Origin
Although there are many explanations of the origin of the festival, the widely accepted one is to commemorate Qu Yuan, the honorable poet living in the Warring State Period. He was a man of integrity and a great contributor to the peace and prosperity of the Chu State, so he was highly respected and loved by the people. However, he was framed up by slanders from a sinister and green-eyed official and therefore he was disgraced and stripped of the post. On the way of exil, he hear that his country was defeated by Qin State. Heartbroken and despaired, he threw himself in the Miluo river on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in that year. Over the years, people celebrated on this day to commemorate him.
2. Traditional Food
It is a legend that after Qu Yuan threw himself in the river to commit suicide, in order to prevent the fish and shrimps from eating the body, they dropped the sticky rice into the river. That was later to be called Zongzi. Wherever people come from north or south, they tend to eat Zongzi on this day, which is stuffed with filling like glutinous rice, meat, beans and yoke and wrapped up with reed leaves. For some people, they have a tradition of drinking realgar wine in order to dispel pathogenic heat and toxin.
3. Activities
Racing boat is prevalent in the southern city and some northern city nearby lakes or rivers. It is one of the important activities which can be dated to the Warring State Period when the local people raced in their boat to retrieve Qu Yuan's body. Today it has become a race that embodies the spirit of cooperation and a sense of collectivism. Other activities like flying kites and hanging wormwood leaves on the door are also can be seen in some places.
4. Challenge
Although the Dragon Boat Festival is one of the Chinese significant festivals, it faces many challenges. The festival is increasingly forgotten by the young people due to the impact of the western holidays. Therefore the responsibility for us to promote our traditional festivals cannot be shirked.
The Dragon Boat Festival is around the corner, Let's celebrate it with high respect！
