The Origin and Customs of the Dragon Boat Festival: Experiencing Traditional Festival Culture

The Dragon Boat Festival is an important traditional festival in China, falling on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year. It is also known as the Duan Yang Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Double Fifth Festival, among other names. As for its origin, the most widely circulated account is that it commemorates the patriotic poet Qu Yuan of the Warring States period. There are also other legends, such as commemorating Wu Zixu, Cao E, and dragon totem worship, all of which reflect the festival's deep historical heritage.

The customs of the Dragon Boat Festival are rich and varied. Dragon boat racing is one of the most representative activities, with people rowing in unison and competing to be first, creating a very lively scene. Every household also hangs mugwort and calamus at the door, and children wear sachets and five-color strings. Most of these customs express the beautiful wish of driving away evil spirits and plague and praying for health and peace.

In terms of food, eating zongzi is the most iconic tradition of the Dragon Boat Festival. Zongzi are made by wrapping glutinous rice in bamboo leaves and steaming or boiling them. The fillings and flavors vary noticeably from place to place, with both sweet and savory types, each with its own distinctive taste. Many places also have food customs such as drinking realgar wine and eating salted duck eggs, and the festival food has a clear seasonal character.

The Dragon Boat Festival carries people's emotions of remembering past sages and praying for blessings and good fortune, and it is also an important time for family reunion. Together with the Spring Festival, Qingming, and Mid-Autumn Festival, it is known as one of China's four major traditional festivals and has been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list. Its rich cultural connotations still radiate vigorous vitality today.