DragonBoatFestival（本⽂为转载）
China's Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu, is alsocalled the Double Fifth Festival. The holiday, which falls on June 7 this year,is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar.
It is one of the oldest festivals, not only in Chinabut also throughout the world, with a history of more than 2,000 years.
In2006, the traditional festival was listed as part of China's nationalintangible cultural heritage. In 2008, it was recognized as a public holiday inthe Chine mainland.
The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the death of QuYuan, a Chu state official and poet who lived during the Warring States Period(475-221 BC) before the reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC). He was exiled after
opposing his king's decision to ally with theneighboring state of Qin, and when Chu was finally conquered by Qin, hecommitted suicide by drowning in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifthlunar month.
The Chu people, who admired Qu Yuan for his loyaltyand integrity, threw rice dumplings into the river t
o feed the fish so theywould not eat the body of their poet hero. People then started dragon boatracing to scare off the fish.
Since then, the fifth day of the fifth month on thelunar calendar is celebrated as the Dragon Boat Festival. The following aresome customs for the festival.
Dragon boat racing
At the center of the festival are the dragon boatraces. Competing teams drive their colorful dragon boats forward to the rhythmof the beating drums. The exciting races were inspired by the villagers'valiant attempts to rescue Qu Yuan from the Miluo River. This tradition hasremained unbroken for centuries.
Eating zongzi
Most Chine festivals are tied to a particular food,and the Dragon Boat Festival is no exception.
A very popular dish during the Dragon Boat Festival iszongzi. This tasty dish consists of rice dumplings with meat, peanuts, eggyolks or other fillings wrapped in reed leaves. The tradition of zongzi ismeant to remind us of village fishermen scattering rice across the water of theMiluo River in
order to appea the river dragons and fish so that they wouldnot devour Qu Yuan.
Balancing eggs
It is said that you will be lucky in the coming yearif you can balance an egg upright during the Dragon Boat Festival. The eggbalancing competition will be held at noon in many places.
Hanging auspicious leaves
The fifth lunar month is marked as a"poisonous" month in the Chine farmer's calendar. This is becauincts and pests are active during this summer month and people are more proneto catch infectious dias.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, Chine put mugwortleaves and calamus on the doors or windows to repel incts, flies,
fleas andmoths from the hou. Tho leaves have curative properties and can prevent anepidemic.
Wearing scented sachets
On the Dragon Boat Festival, children normally wearscented sachets threaded with five-color silk string to ward off evil. Ascented sachet is an ornament worn on the front of the dress. Thesweet-smelling sachet contains cinnabar, realgar and aromatic herbs.
It is usually wrapped in a silk cloth and sometimembroidered with exquisite patterns. Multicolor silk threads are attached to thesachet as decorative tasls. In some areas of China, a scented sachet is alsoud as a token between young lovers.
Hanging an image of Zhong Kui
Zhong Kui is a famous exorcist. His picture, afierce-looking male brandishing a magic sword, is hung in Chine hous inorder to scare away evil spirits and demons, especially during the Dragon BoatFestival.
Tying five-color silk string
According to folklore, tying five-color silk stringaround wrists, ankles and the neck protects children from evil. Five-colorstring holds a special significance in China, as it is thought to containmagical and healing properties.
Children are not permitted to speak while theirparents tie the five-color string for them, nor are they allowed to remove ituntil the specified time. Only after the first summer rainfall can the childrenthrow the string into the river. This is thought to
protect children from theplague and other dias.
Driving away the five poisonous pests
According to Chine custom, the "doublefifth" is the hottest day of the month, when all the poisonous vapors arein the air, so every attempt is made to harmonize yin and yang so that dangerand dia can be avoided.
It is believed that five kinds of poisonous pestswould harm children's health, including a snake, centipede, scorpion, lizard,toad and sometimes spider. People will cut colorful silk into patterns of thefive pests or paint them on red paper, and then paste the silk or red paper onthe doors or walls of the bedroom, each impaled by a needle.
The five pests are also often embroidered on clothing,stamped on cakes, engraved on accessories and ud for decorations. They arebelieved to have the power to drive away all pests and pestilence.
