Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is an essential celebration in Chinese history and traditional culture. With the increasing awareness of preserving traditions and cultures, the Dragon Boat Festival has been recognized as a statutory public holiday in China since 2008. This day symbolizes the official beginning of summer and is one of three major traditional holidays in China. The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which corresponds to dates between May 25 and July 24 in the modern calendar. For instance, the Dragon Boat Festival fell on June 22, 2023, and it will be on June 10, 2024.
Many believe the Dragon Boat Festival originated in ancient China based on the patriotic suicide of Qu Yuan, the poet, and statesman of the Chu kingdom, in 278 BC. We highlighted this touching legend in our Dragon Boat Festival Legend blog article.
How Chinese People Celebrate Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival, a significant cultural event celebrated for over 2,000 years, is a time when Chinese people engage in various customs to ward off diseases and invoke good health.
Making and eating Zongzi
Zongzi (粽子zòngzi /dzong-dzuh/) is the most traditional Dragon Boat Festival food. It is related to the commemoration of Qu Yuan. After Qu Yuan drowned himself in the river, people were in deep grief, and they did not manage to salvage his body. People were in fear that Qu Yuan’s body could be devoured, so they decided to throw rice wrapped in leaves into the river to feed all water creatures so that Qu Yuan’s body could stay untouched.
Zongzi is a sticky rice dumpling made of glutinous rice filled with meat, beans, and other fillings. It 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.
Besides zongzi, there are other food traditions in the Dragon Boat Festival, such as green bean cakes, salted duck eggs, and mianshanzi (a kind of wheat flour food made in a fan shape). Most festival food traditions are connected to health protection, and zongzi is a nutrient-rich remedy for fatigue on summer days.
Drinking Realgar Wine
There is an old saying: ‘Drinking realgar wine drives diseases and evils away!’ Realgar wine is a Chinese alcoholic drink of fermented cereals and powdered realgar.
In ancient times, people believed that realgar was an antidote for all poisons and effective for killing insects and driving away evil spirits. Nowadays, adults are still advised to drink some realgar wine during the Duanwu Festival, and children should wear an amulet containing realgar.
Using special herbs and aromas
During the Dragon Boat Festival, it is an important custom to hang calamus and wormwood clusters on the door frame. Both calamus and wormwood give off an aroma that can repel pests. Similarly, people use perfumed pouches stuffed with vanilla, herbs, realgar, and flower petals. Such pouches are more than merely decorative. Instead, they are believed to keep diseases and evil spirits away while bringing fortune and happiness.
Dragon boat racing
Dragon Boat Racing is the most dynamic and exciting event at the Dragon Boat Festival. The symbol of this festival is a dragon boat, a human-powered wooden watercraft shaped and decorated like a Chinese dragon. Generally, it is about 20–35 meters long and needs 30–60 people to paddle it.
A fun fact is that the boat should be “brought to life” by performing a sacred ceremony before any competition. Then, the race starts, and teams of paddlers paddle furiously to the beat of a drum. The excitement for spectators is beyond imagination.
Best Places to Celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival
If you’re looking for somewhere to watch a Dragon Boat Race during the festival, here are a few of the best places to go:
Yueyang International Dragon Boat Race: Miluo River Dragon Boat Race Center, Yueyang, Hunan
Zigui Dragon Boat Racing: Xujiachong Bay, Zuigui County, Yichang, Hubei
Miao People’s International Canoe Festival: Qingshui River, Guizhou
Hangzhou Xixi Dragon Boat Race: Xixi Wetland Park
Guangzhou Pearl River
So, if you have a chance to be in China during this unique time, grab some zongzi, catch a dragon boat race, and enjoy the unique experience of celebrating a traditional Chinese festival.