Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival, also called Double Fifth Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the lunar calendar. It is one of the most important Chinese festivals.
The origin of the festival
The origin of this summer festival centers around a scholarly government official named QuYuan He was a good and respected man, but because of the misdeeds of rivals, he eventually fell into disfavour in the emperor's court. Unable to regain the respect of the emperor, in his sorrow, QuYuan threw himself into the Mi Low river.
When it was known that Qu Yuan had been lost to the river, the local fisherman had a dream that the fish in the river were eating Qu Yuan's body. Because of their admiration for QuYuan, the local people living adjacent to the Mi Lo River rushed into their boats to search for him while throwing rice into the waters to appease the river dragons. The local people came up with the idea that if the fishes in the river were not hungry, then they would not eat Qu Yuan's body. So the local People began the tradition of throwing zongzi into the river to feed the fish in hope that QuYuan's body would be spared.
Customs about Dragon Boat Festival
● Dragon Boat race
Traditions at the center of this festival are the dragon boat races. Competing teams drive their colourful dragon boats forward to the rhythm of beating drums. These exciting races were inspired by the villager's valiant attempts to rescue QuYuan from the Mi Lo river. This tradition has remained unbroken for centuries.
Dragon boats look like Chinese dragons. A team of people row a dragon boat together. At the front of the boat, one team member beats a drum to encourage his teammates. It is said that the winning team will bring luck and happiness to the people of their village.
● Eating Zongzi
A very popular dish during the Dragon Boat Festival is zongzi. This tasty dish consists of rice dumplings with meat, peanut, egg yolk or other fillings wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves. The tradition of zongzi is meant to remind us of the village fishermen scattering rice across the water of the Mi Low river to appease the river dragons so that they would not devour QuYuan.
● Ay Taso
The time of year of the Dragon Boat Festival the fifth lunar moon has more significance than just the story of QuYuan.Many Chinese consider this time of year an especially dangerous time when extra efforts must be made to protect their family from illness. Families will hang various herbs called Ay Tsao, on their doors for protection. The drinking of realgar wine is tight to remove poisons from the body Hsiang Bao is also worn. These sachets contain various fragrant medicinal herbs thought to protect the wearer from illness.
● Wearing Five-colour Silk Thread
During the holiday, children will wear five-colour silk tread on their wrists or ankles. It is said that five-colour silk tread can drive away evil spirits and protect children from diseases.
