The Unlucky Fifth MonthĪnother possible explanation for the origins of the festival relates to the calendar placement of the occasion. Learn more about the History and Legends of the Dragon Boat Festival. In order to commemorate Qu Yuan, every fifth day of the fifth lunar month people beat drums and paddle out in boats on the river as they once did to keep fish and evil spirits away from his body. He drowned himself in the Miluo River on the 5th day of the 5th Chinese lunar month, when his beloved Chu State fell to the State of Qin. Local people desperately tried to save Qu Yuan or recover his body, to no avail. The most popular one is in commemoration of Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan (340–278 BC) was a patriotic poet and exiled official during the Warring States Period of ancient China. The most popular ones are as follows: The Death of Qu Yuan There are many legends about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. It is traditionally a festival for people to (ceremonially) come against diseases and poisonous insects. As the coronavirus pandemic continues across the world, this year's Dragon Boat Festival has a renewed focus on health. Therefore, Dragon Boat Festival was originally regarded as a traditional medical and health festival. This made the month seem evil, so people in ancient times regarded it as an important time to prevent diseases and keep evil spirits away. During the early hot days of summer, people would easily fall ill and epidemics spread. Its earliest origin is related to the fifth lunar month which was known to ancients as the ‘month of poison’.
However, it is evidenced that the Dragon Boat Festival actually came before the death of Qu Yuan. Many believe that Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet, and minister known for his patriotism and contributions to classical poetry, who eventually became a national hero. Why Is Dragon Boat Festival So Important? See why it is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
Double Fifth Festivalĭragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, hence it is also called “Double Fifth Festival” (Chongwu Jie 重五节 in Chinese). So ‘Duanwu’ can also mean ‘Start of the Fifth Solar Month’. Hence, Duanwu Jie means ‘the beginning of mid-summer festival’.Īlso, 端五 is a variant of Duanwu using wu (五), the Chinese character meaning ‘five’. Duan (端) means ‘start’, while wu (午) means ‘noon’, but also ‘the fifth solar month’ in the traditional Chinese calendar (approximately June 6 – July 6), centered around the summer solstice. ‘The month of noon’ marks the middle of summer. The Dragon Boat Festival is called Duanwu Jie (端午节) in Mandarin Chinese. So, it is also called the Dragon Boat Festival. Zongzi have long been thrown into rivers as offerings and sacrifices to the Dragon God on lunar month 5 day 5, while dragon boats are used in races traditionally held on this day. Chinese people attach great cultural significance to dragons. The two main activities during the festival are eating zongzi (rice dumplings) and boat races, and both are related to dragons. It is called Dragon Boat Festival, or Longzhou Jie (龙舟节) in Chinese, because of its close association with dragon boats. It is called Duanwu Jie in Mandarin and Tuen Ng in Cantonese, and is also known as ‘Dumpling Festival’ and ‘Double Fifth Festival’. Dragon Boat Festival Greetings: Happy or Health?ĭragon Boat Festival has more than twenty names and each has its own meaning and origins.How Do People Celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival?.The Origins of the Dragon Boat Festival.Why Is Dragon Boat Festival So Important?.
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