China is a country full of culture and values; due to China’s rich history, several cultural festivals have been celebrated in China since the age of ancient china; one such is the dragon boat festival.Boat festivals are celebrated in many cultures. In east Asia especially, several boat festivals are connected with different cultural values.In China, the dragon boat festival comes with numerous other kinds of cultural activities, and one such is dragon boat racing. Chinese people and different beliefs about dragons are not a new story. The Chinese culture and its mark have influenced everyone across the world. Many people from other countries travel to China during the dragon boat festival to witness the fantastic event first-hand enjoy the delicious food and the entertainment.Chinese people opened a world of dragons and delicious seafood to the rest of the globe. However, behind these dragon boat architecture and the dragon boat festival, some stories explain why these festivals are celebrated in the first place.Origin And History Of The Dragon Boat FestivalDragon boat racing and the dragon boat festival are part of a very long tradition and history of the Chinese people dating back to 221 BC. The dragon boat festival is the day of a national holiday in China, and many tourists worldwide also enjoy watching the Chinese dragon boat festival.In Chinese culture, the duanwu festival is celebrated in the early spring.Like many other cultures in Southeast Asia, the Chinese festivals also depend on the moon’s lunar cycle, and the dragon boat festival is celebrated on the fifth lunar month.The dragon boat festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar cycle and is celebrated in the memory of Qu yuan.Qu yuan was a very famous Chinese poet, and to remember Qu yuan, the dragon boat festival is celebrated.Qu Yuan was considered a national hero in China.During the dragon boat festival, people all across china throw sticky rice in the river, preferably the miluo river, to prevent the river’s fish from eating Qu yuan’s body.The lunar calendar affects these traditional holiday dates a lot; that’s why every year, these public holiday dates don’t fall on the same dates as they did the last year.Many other activities take place during the dragon boat festival, and one such is the race among dragon boats.Many people also tie a thread and wear them around their necks to protect themselves from the evil spirits on this fifth day of the fifth lunar month.Many other cultures wear such threads, including black thread, to protect themselves from evil spirits and have good luck.Another reason why during the duanwu festival the dragon boat race happens is, there is a famous saying that the Chinese dragon which sits on the boat will scare the fish if they try to eat Qu yuan’s body as Qu yuan drowned in a river.Customs And Traditions Observed At The Dragon Boat FestivalMany Chinese customs are just as rich and beautiful as we can imagine them.Most festivals are often celebrated with the hope that they will bring good luck and good health to the family.Many people burn aromatic herbs during the festival days and wear silk threads as a sign of good luck and to eliminate bad luck.Bamboo leaves are considered pious in many cultures, especially in Asian cultures.During the dragon boat festival, a famous custom is eating zongzi, which are dumplings made out of glutinous rice.Dragon boat races occur in nearby rivers during this public holiday, such as the Yangtze river, as a sign of good fortune.Many Asian cultures, including South Korea, India, and China, often hang garlands made of leaves outside their homes during such festival times to scare away poisonous animals and evil spirits.A wonderful and less known fact about the dragon boat festival is that since it falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, it is responsible for bringing many plagues and diseases during the middle ages in ancient China.Thus, ancient Chinese people would make the egg stand, make red bean paste, and eat sweet potato to prevent the spread of these diseases, which are considered evil.Not every Chinese community celebrates the dragon boat festival in remembrance of Qu yuan. Some celebrate it to remember Wu Zixu and another famous well-known poet like Qu Yuan.Significance Of The Dragon Boat FestivalThe most unique thing about the dragon boat festival is the dragon boat racing, which is paddled by over 22 men.During such national holidays, dragon boat racing is also a symbol of Chinese patriotism and unity among Chinese people.The Chinese boat festival is basically a national holiday celebrated in memory of Qu yuan.The dragon boat racing is an important part of the festival, this is witnessed by many tourists as well, and it starts around eight am in the morning.The name of this race is called dragon boat because, during earlier times, Chinese people believed dragons existed, and to wake them up, people did mock dragon boat racing which is still continuing to date.Many south and east Asian cultures have boat racing as well. Kerala, a state in India, also conducts boat racing as a part of the festival once every year; however, that boat is known as canoeing.Canoeing is very different from a dragon boat. A canoe is pointed on both ends, whereas a dragon boat is only pointed on one end.Fun Facts About The Dragon Boat FestivalDragon boat racing is very pleasing and entertaining to watch. However, this race is very challenging, and it takes an extreme amount of time for people to train for it.Dragon boat racing is difficult, and the paddlers often end up with blisters in their hands as they paddle for hours to win the race.The paddlers train for months before appearing in the festival and fighting against other dragon boats.Dragon boats and their connection to Chinese festivals are around 2000 years old.In the earlier time as well, when celebrating a festival, people would do dragon boat racing.Dragon boat racing was invented in the year 221 BC.In earlier times, people saw dragon boat racing as a way to please the gods. Chinese people in earlier times would often do dragon boat racing to please the rain gods.Boat racing also quickly became festive throughout Asia as a celebratory activity celebrating the harvest. Countries such as China and India actively organize boat racing yearly during the harvest season.
China is a country full of culture and values; due to China’s rich history, several cultural festivals have been celebrated in China since the age of ancient china; one such is the dragon boat festival.
