Duanwu Festival

Zongzi

 
Every year, near the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, a heavy rain would soak south China. And the rising of water level on rivers caused by heavy rain is proper for Dragon Boat match. Thus, the natural phenomenons of raininess and tiding river water are called "Dragon Boat Surge".

At about 13:35 on June the fifth, the water height on the Pearl River reached its peak of this year with 1.91 meters high.

This year's "Dragon Boat Surge" arrives at the right time. Varied of Dragon Boat matches have raised its ugly head and plan to go to the battle field throughout Guangdong.

Duanwu Festival

The Duanwu Festival is a Chinese traditional and statutory holiday. It is a public holiday in mainland China and in Taiwan, where it is known as the "Duanwu Festival". It is also a public holiday in Hong Kong and Macau, where it is known as Duen Ng Festival. Its alternative name in English is "Dragon Boat Festival", after one of the traditional activities for the holiday.

The Duanwu Festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, giving rise to the alternative name of Double Fifth. In 2008, this falls on 8 June. The focus of the celebrations include eating zongzi, which are large rice wraps, drink realgar wine, and race dragon boats.

Origins
The Duanwu Festival originated in ancient China. There are a number of theories about the origins of the festival. Today, the most commonly accepted version relates to the death of poet Qu Yuan in 278 BC, detailed below. 

Qu Yuan
The most well-known traditional story holds that the festival commemorates the death of poet Qu Yuan (c. 340 BC - 278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu, in the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty. A descendant of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance. During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry, for which he is now remembered. Twenty-eight years later, Qin conquered the Chu capital. In despair. Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month.

It is said that the local people, who admired him, threw food into the river to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi. The local people were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing.

Dragon Boat Race in the Duanwu Festival

 
Activities
The three most widespread activities for the Duanwu Festival are eating (and preparing) zongzi, an angular rice ball wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves; drinking realgar wine, and racing dragon boats.

Other common activities include hanging up icons of Zhong Kui (a mythic guardian figure), hanging up mugwort and calamus, taking long walks, and wearing perfumed medicine bags. Other traditional activities including a game of making an egg stand at noon, and writing spells. All of these activities, together with the drinking of realgar wine, are designed to ward off disease or evil.

Source: Wikipedia/ Lifeofguangzhou.com

Editor: Chen Minjie