The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a wonderful traditional Chinese celebration that happens on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the lunar calendar. It’s a time of joy and excitement, and people eagerly celebrate it in various parts of East Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and communities around the globe.
What Do We Do
- Dragon Boat Racing 🐲
划龙舟 huá lóngzhōu
The most exciting part of the Dragon Boat Festival is the thrilling dragon boat races! Picture this: teams of enthusiastic rowers putting their heart and soul into paddling in long, slender boats adorned with dragon designs. Each boat has a spirited drummer, setting the rhythm, and a skilled steerer at the back. These exhilarating races happen in rivers, lakes, and other watery venues, with crowds of cheerful spectators gathering to cheer on the competing teams. It’s an absolute blast!
- Zongzi 🎋
粽子 zòngzi
Another wonderful tradition of the festival is enjoying delicious zongzi! These delightful treats are sticky rice dumplings wrapped in fragrant bamboo leaves. What makes them extra special is the wide range of fillings they can have, including beans, meats, nuts, or even sweet fillings. The dumplings are lovingly shaped into cute pyramid shapes and then either boiled or steamed to perfection. And here’s a fun fact: the tradition of eating zongzi is connected to a Chinese Patriotic Poet named Qu Yuan. If you’re curious about the story, feel free to check it out below! It’s an intriguing tale.
- Balance Eggs 🥚
立蛋 lìdàn
During the Dragon Boat Festival, apart from eating zongzi and participating in dragon boat races, one of the easiest activities that every household can easily accomplish is 立蛋 lì dàn! It is believed that the time when the yang energy is the strongest during the year is precisely at noon on the Dragon Boat Festival (between 11 am and 1 pm). Therefore, if you can successfully stand an egg during the noon of the Dragon Boat Festival, it is said to bring you good luck for the whole year.
- Scented Sachets 🌱
香包 xiāngbāo
Back in ancient China, when medicine wasn’t as advanced as it is now, people had a clever way to combat insects and bacteria during the buzzing summer months. They would grind ingredients like realgar, mugwort, and calamus into a fine powder and wrap them in cloth. These little pouches, filled with aromatic scents, were worn on their chests. Not only did they smell lovely, but they also had sterilizing properties, keeping those pesky insects and bacteria away. These charming pouches were affectionately called 香包 xiāng bāo, which means “fragrance pouches.”
- Hang mugwort & Bathe orchid grass
掛艾草 & 沐蘭湯 guà àicǎo & mù lántāng
During the Dragon Boat Festival, people hang mugwort and sweet flag at their doorsteps and use orchid grass to bathe children. This is because according to folklore, mugwort, sweet flag, pomegranate flowers, garlic, and dragon boat flowers are known as the “Five Protectors.” They are believed to counteract the toxicity of centipedes, snakes, scorpions, toads, and geckos, which are considered harmful creatures. Therefore, people believe that they can ward off evil, fend off plagues and pests, and purify the air.
Food for Dragon Boat Festival
Zongzi 粽子 zòngzi
Zongzi is one of the traditional foods enjoyed during the Dragon Boat Festival. It is made primarily with glutinous rice and wrapped in leaves. The fillings can vary and include ingredients such as black-eyed peas, soybeans, Chinese sausage, salted duck eggs, peanuts, chestnuts, corn, shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimp, and pork. Zongzi is typically cooked by boiling or steaming. However, besides being delicious, zongzi is also high in calories, ranging from around 400 to 600 kcal per serving. It would take about 2 to 3 hours of jogging to burn off those calories. In modern times, there are also various creative adaptations of zongzi, such as turning them into frozen treats like taro milk zongzi, matcha red bean zongzi, or pearl milk tea mochi zongzi, offered by many commercial establishments.
Realgar Wine 雄黄酒 xiónghuángjiǔ
Chinese medicinal wine that’s made by infusing realgar, a bright yellow mineral, into alcohol. People believe that this special brew has detoxifying properties and can even keep insects away! During the lively Dragon Boat Festival, in some regions, it’s a custom to enjoy a small sip of 雄黄酒 xiónghuángjiǔ. It’s like a way to say, “Get lost, evil spirits!” and protect ourselves from illnesses. This ancient practice is rooted in Chinese beliefs about how realgar can repel insects and cleanse our bodies.
Ps. Realgar contains arsenic, which can be toxic if consumed in large quantities or over a prolonged period.
Stories related to the Moon festival
- 屈原 Qū Yuán
It’s about a Chinese Patriotic Poet named Qu Yuan.
- 白蛇傳 Báishé zhuàn
It’s about a white snake fall in love with a human.
