Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional and important celebration in China, falling on 5th day of the 5th month in Chinese lunar calendar.

The earliest origin of the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival can be dated to the “dragon worship” in the Prehistoric Times (1.7 million years ago - the 21st century BC), while the most popular origin is closely related to the great poet Qu Yuan in the Warring States Period (475 – 221BC). 

Qu Yuan was a minister in his home State of Chu, who wrote a lot of poems and proposed many reforms to show his care and devotion to his country. After the reform failed and he was exiled by the king, he chose to drown himself on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in the river rather than seeing his country invaded and conquered by the State of Qin.

After he drowned himself, people rowed boats to save him but failed. Since then, people commemorate Qu Yuan on 5th day of 5th lunar month every year, by rowing a boat to feed fish with Zongzi, so that they would not give a bite on Qu Yuan’s body.

Great people like Wu Zixu and Cao E also died on the same day, so in certain areas, people also commemorate them during the festival.

On October 30th 2009, it was added to the UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

People enjoy a 3-day holiday for celebrations, among which the dragon boat race is the most popular. The iconic festival food is Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).

We wish you a good health at Dragon Boat Festival. Row the boats, eat zongzi and have a nice holiday!

(By Fanying)