Dragon Boat Festival
dragon boat festival traditional chinese 端午節 simplified chinese 端午节 pinyin duānwǔ jié traditional chinese holiday occurs fifth day fifth month chinese calendar corresponds late may early june gregorian calendar holiday commemorates qu yuan beloved prime minister southern chinese state chu warring state period bc bc celebrated holding dragon boat race eating sticky rice dumpling called zongzi southern chinese tradition dragon boat festival integrates praying good luck taking respite summer heat september unesco officially approved holiday inclusion representative list intangible cultural heritage humanity becoming first chinese holiday selected english language name holiday dragon boat festival used official english translation holiday people republic china also referred english source double fifth festival alludes day festival according chinese calendar chinese name festival pronounced differently different chinese language duanwu 端午 literally mean starting five—ie first fifth day month according chinese zodiac however despite literal meaning referring earthly branch character also become associated wǔ 五 wu five due character often pronunciation hence duanwu festival fifth day fifth month cantonese romanized tuen ng jit hong kong tung ng jit macau hence name tuen ng festival used hong kong tun ng festividade barcodragão portuguese macau fifth lunar month considered unlucky poisonous month fifth day fifth month especially get rid misfortune people would put calamus artemisia garlic door fifth day fifth month believed help ward evil strong smell shape instance calamus leaf shaped like sword venomous animal said appear starting fifth day fifth month snake centipede scorpion people also supposedly get sick easily day therefore dragon boat festival people try avoid bad luck example people may put picture five venomous creature snake centipede scorpion lizard toad sometimes spider wall stick needle people may also make paper cutout five creature wrap around wrist child big ceremony performance developed practice many area making dragon boat festival day getting rid disease bad luck story best known modern china hold festival commemorates death poet minister qu yuan c – bc ancient state chu warring state period zhou dynasty cadet member chu royal house qu served high office however king decided ally increasingly powerful state qin qu banished opposing alliance even accused treason exile qu yuan wrote great deal poetry eventually qin captured ying chu capital despair qu yuan committed suicide drowning miluo river said local people admired raced boat save least retrieve body said origin dragon boat race body could found dropped ball sticky rice river fish would eat instead qu yuan body said origin zongzi twentieth century qu yuan became considered patriotic poet symbol people promoted folk hero symbol chinese nationalism people republic china communist victory chinese civil war historian writer guo moruo influential shaping view qu another origin story say festival commemorates wu zixu died bc statesman kingdom wu king goujian state yue sends xi shi beautiful woman state wu distract king fuchai state affair wu zixu see plot warned fuchai became angry forced latter wu zixu commit suicide body thrown river fifth day fifth month death place suzhou wu zixu remembered dragon boat festival although wu zixu commemorated southeast jiangsu qu yuan elsewhere china much northeastern zhejiang including city shaoxing ningbo zhoushan celebrates memory young girl cao e – ad instead cao e father cao xu 曹盱 shaman presided local ceremony shangyu presiding ceremony commemorating wu zixu dragon boat festival cao xu accidentally fell shun river cao e act filial piety searched river day trying find five day father found dead river drowning eight year later temple built shangyu dedicated memory cao e sacrifice shun river renamed caoe river honor cao e depicted wu shuang pu table peerless hero jin guliang modern research suggests story qu yuan wu zixu superimposed onto preexisting holiday tradition promotion story might encouraged confucian scholar seeking legitimize strengthen influence china relationship zongzi qu yuan festival first appeared early han dynasty story qu yuan wu zixu recorded sima qians shiji completed year respective event historian wanted praise character according historian holiday originated celebration agriculture fertility rice growing southern china recently american sociologist wolfram eberhard wrote widely celebrated southern china north another theory dragon boat festival originated dragon worship theory advanced wen yiduo support drawn two key tradition festival tradition dragon boat racing zongzi food may originally represented offering dragon king dragon boat racing naturally reflects reverence dragon active yang energy associated merged tradition visiting friend family boat another suggestion festival celebrates widespread feature east asian agrarian society harvest winter wheat offering regularly made deity spirit time ancient yue dragon king ancient chu qu yuan ancient wu wu zixu river god ancient korea mountain god see dano interaction different region increased similar festival eventually merged one holiday early th century dragon boat festival observed first fifth day fifth month also known festival five poisonousvenomous insect traditional chinese 毒蟲節 simplified chinese 毒虫节 pinyin dúchóng jié wade–giles tuchʻungchieh yu der ling writes chapter memoir two year forbidden city first day fifth moon busy day u first fifth fifth moon festival five poisonous insect explain later—also called dragon boat festival feast also called dragon boat feast fifth fifth moon noon poisonous hour poisonous insect reptile frog lizard snake hide mud hour paralyzed medical men search hour place jar dried sometimes use medicine majesty told day went everywhere dug ground found nothing dragon boat festival made national public holiday china festival long marked cultural festival china public holiday china hong kong macau taiwan people republic china government established initially recognize dragon boat festival public holiday reintroduced alongside two festival bid boost traditional culture dragon boat festival unofficially observed chinese community southeast asia including singapore malaysia equivalent related official festival include korean dano japanese tango sekku vietnamese tết đoan ngọ three widespread activity conducted dragon boat festival eating preparing zongzi drinking realgar wine racing dragon boat dragon boat racing rich history ancient ceremonial ritualistic tradition originated southern central china year ago legend start story qu yuan minister one warring state government chu slandered jealous government official banished king disappointment chu monarch drowned miluo river common people rushed water tried recover body failed commemoration qu yuan people hold dragon boat race yearly day death according legend also scattered rice water feed fish prevent eating qu yuan body one origin zongzi notable part celebrating dragon boat festival making eating zongzi also known sticky rice dumpling family member friend people traditionally make zongzi wrapping glutinous rice filling leaf reed bamboo forming pyramid shape leaf also give special aroma flavor sticky rice filling choice filling vary depending region northern region china prefer sweet dessertstyled zongzi bean paste jujube nut filling southern region china prefer savory zongzi variety filling including egg meat zongzi appeared spring autumn period originally used worship ancestor god jin dynasty zongzi dumpling officially designated dragon boat festival food time addition glutinous rice chinese medicine yizhiren alpinia oxyphylla added ingredient making zongzi cooked zongzi called yizhi zong wu 午 name duanwu pronunciation similar number multiple chinese dialect thus many region tradition eating food related number example guangdong hong kong region tradition congee made different bean realgar wine xionghuang wine chinese alcoholic drink made chinese liquor dosed powdered realgar yelloworange arsenic sulfide mineral traditionally used pesticide common antidote disease venom dragon boat festival people may put realgar wine part childrens face repel five poisonous creature region china people especially child wear silk ribbon thread color blue red yellow white black representing five element day dragon boat festival people believe help keep evil away common activity include hanging icon zhong kui mythic guardian figure hanging mugwort calamus taking long walk wearing perfumed medicine bag traditional activity include game making egg stand noon game implies someone succeeds making egg stand exactly noon person receive luck next year writing spell activity together drinking realgar wine water regarded ancient today effective preventing disease evil promoting health wellbeing early year republic china duanwu celebrated poet day due qu yuan status china first known poet taiwanese tradition balancing egg duanwu said bring good fortune rest year sun considered strongest around time summer solstice daylight northern hemisphere longest sun like chinese dragon traditionally represents masculine energy whereas moon like phoenix traditionally represents feminine energy summer solstice considered annual peak male energy winter solstice longest night year represents annual peak feminine energy masculine image dragon thus become associated dragon boat festival bon om touk traditional chinese holiday medium related duanwu festival wikimedia common