Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Festival is one of the major holidays in Chinese culture. This summer festival was originally a time to ward off bad spirits, but Dragon Boat Festival is now a celebration of the life of Qu Yuan, a Chinese Poet.

The highlight of Dragon Boat Festival is the Dragon Boat Race, where teams of rowers propel Dragon Boats to the beat of drums. This tradition is centuries-old, and has been taken up in countries around the world.

Dragon Boat Festival and Qu Yuan Qu Yuan was a minister to the Zhou emperor during the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC). Because of Qu Yuan’s success, he aroused jealousy in his fellow ministers. They plotted against him and convinced the emperor that Qu Yuan was a traitor. Qu Yuan was banished, and returned to his home town. During his years of banishment, Qu Yuan collected legends and folk tales, and wrote poetry. He never lost his patriotic love for his emperor, and was greatly concerned about the future of the Zhou dynasty.

The Death of Qu Yuan Eventually the Qin warriors overthrew the Zhou rulers and proceeded to plunder the country. On the 5th day of May, 278 BC, Qu Yuan learned about the sack of his capital city, and in a fit of despair, committed suicide by throwing himself into the Miluo river. The townspeople, hearing of Qu Yuan’s fate, rushed to their boats to try to save him. Since he was much loved, they tried to prevent the fish from eating his body by throwing rice dumplings into the water. They beat drums to keep evil spirits away.

To this day, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month is celebrated by eating rice dumplings (zong zi) and racing dragon boats. It is also a day for wearing talismans to keep away evil spirits. Adults drink Xiong Huang wine, and children wear fragrant silk pouches to guard against evil.

Mandarin Chinese Phrases for Dragon Boat Festival Here are a few Mandarin words and phrases relating to Dragon Boat Festival. English Pinyin Traditional Characters Simplified Characters Dragon Boat Festival duān wǔ jié 端午節 端午节 Dragon Boat long zhōu 龍舟 龙舟 Rice Dumplings zòng zǐ 粽子 Qu Yuan qū yuán 屈原 Zhou Dynasty chǔ guó 楚國 楚国 Xiong Huang xióng huáng jiǔ 雄黃酒 雄黄酒

Source: http://mandarin.about.com/od/chineseculture/a/dragon_boat.htm