The Dragon Boat Festival is held on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. The Dragon Boat Festival is also known as the Double Fifth Day. Qu Yuan is a minister during the Warring Sates period which is 475 – 221 B.C. Qu Yaun was a minister to Zhou Emperor. Qu was loved by almost everybody. Zhou Dynasty he ruled for 7 centuries and then he tried to carve out Qu but then he was voted off service. Why he got voted off service was because Qu tried to not let the Zhou Emperor make Qin kingdom in conflict with other states. Qu last poem was…
"Many a heavy sigh I have in my despair,
Grieving that I was born in such an unlucky time.
I yoked a team of jade dragons to a phoenix chariot,
And waited for the wind to come,
to sour up on my journey”
When they both died zong zi (a traditional food foe the Dragon Boat Festival) was thrown into a river to feed fish, Qu’s body did not get thrown into the water. Zong Zi is Zong zi is a glutinous rice ball, with a filling, wrapped in corn leaves. The fillings can be egg, beans, dates, fruits, sweet potato, walnuts, mushrooms, meat, or a combination of them. They are generally steamed.
Dragon Boats are decorated with bright and authentic paint. Dragon Boats raced for 40-100 feet distance. The heads of the boats are dragons that have there mouth open. The back of the boat is a scaly tail. 80 rowers row this dragon boat, for the Dragon Boat Festival. Before you can race the dragon boats you must bring the boat “ to life”. You have to paint the eyes during the sacred ceremony. As many dragons boats can enter this race. The winner has to get a flag that is 440-100 feet away. This race is held all over China.
In Chinese the Dragon Boat Festival is called Duan Wu Jie. This holiday is one of the longest festivals known. In this festival people get in long canoe boats and row with the beat. In the front of the boat is a dressed up man hitting a drum to keep the beat going. There is also a dragon head in the front. In the back there is a dragon tail.
The people who row row with the beat. Teams compete against each other.
People do this to rescue the patriotic poet Chu Yuan. Chu Yuan died on the fifth day of the fifth lunar calendar. People through bamboo covered rice into the water so the fish can eat it.
This festival is also time for protection from evil and diseases for the rest of the year. People hang fresh herbs on there door, drink different nutritious drinks mix together, and hang portraits of evil people.
People eat rice dumplings, and tzungtzu. (sticky riceballs with a filling wrapped in bamboo leaves) People also put other things in the rice.
