A detailed explanation of the origins and customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, taking you to experience the charm of traditional culture

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duan Yang Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, or the Double Fifth Festival, is a traditional festival held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year, and together with the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival it is known as one of China's four great traditional festivals. As for its origin, the most widely circulated account is that it commemorates Qu Yuan, a poet of the State of Chu during the Warring States period. Legend has it that Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River on this day in sacrifice for his country, and later people rowed boats to search for him and threw food into the river, which gradually evolved into the customs of dragon boat racing and eating zongzi.

Besides commemorating Qu Yuan, there are other folk theories about its origin. Some hold that the Dragon Boat Festival originated from the dragon totem sacrifices of ancient ancestors, while others say it is related to the damp, hot, and disease-prone fifth month of midsummer, when people used this festival to ward off evil and poison and pray for health and peace. Therefore, many Dragon Boat Festival customs carry a clear flavor of disease prevention and epidemic protection.

The customs of the Dragon Boat Festival are rich and varied. Eating zongzi is the most representative, made by wrapping glutinous rice in reed leaves and steaming it, with distinct flavors in the north and south; dragon boat racing is especially popular in the watery regions of the south, embodying the spirit of unity and hard work. In addition, people hang mugwort and calamus at their doors, wear sachets, and tie five-colored strings, and some places retain the tradition of drinking realgar wine, symbolizing the warding off of evil and harm.

Today, the Dragon Boat Festival has been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list, and it is also the first traditional festival in our country to be selected as a world intangible cultural heritage. This festival carries people's beautiful feelings of commemorating past sages and praying for health. Every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, every household wraps zongzi and watches dragon boats, and the rich festive atmosphere conveys the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture.