Chinese Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Festival)
Friday, June 6, 2008 – 8:32 amOur office will be closed for PUBLIC Dragon Boat Festival Holiday (Duanwu Festival) from Jun 07 to Jun 09. The Duanwu Festival is for centers on a great patriotic poet named Qu Yuan. This festival dates back to about 2,000 years ago. The festival is the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar year, its an important day for the Chinese people.
The customs vary a lot in different areas of the country. People have Dragon Boat Races, eat Zong Zi and carry a spice bag around with them.
Dragon Boat Race The main event of the festivities is the Dragon Boat Race. These boats are long and thin with dragon heads on the bow of the ships. The boat races are said to represent the search for Qu’s body, which racing boats in a forward rowing motion, to the rhythm of beating drums.
Zong Zi Qu Yuan drowned on the fifth day of the fifty lunar month in 277BC. Since ancients times, Chinese people threw into the water dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves on the day. Therefore the fish would eat the rice rather than the hero poet. This later on turned into the custom of eating Zong Zi.
Spice Bag Its belived that if you carry the small spice bag around with you, it not only drives away evil spirits but also brings fortune and happiness to those who wear it. The small bags are hand-made by local craftsmen. They are made with red, yellow, green and blue silk, fine satin or cotton. Figures of animals, flowers and fruits are often embroidered onto the bags and inside are mixed Chinese herbal medicines.
