Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival is also known as the Chongwu Festival. According to legend, it was the day when Qu Yuan, a great ancient Chinese poet and one of the world's four major cultural celebrities, succumbed to the Miluo River. On the fifth day of May every year, there are customs of dragon boat racing, eating zongzi, and drinking realgar wine to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan.  

The customs vary a lot in different areas of the country, but most of the families would do like below.

一、Hanging Pictures of Zhong Kui

二、Hanging Calamus and Moxa

三、Dragon Boat Race

四、The Culture of Zongzi

五、Spice Bag

六、Realgar Wine

一、Hanging Pictures of Zhong Kui

People would paste on their front doors pictures of Zhongkui, a

legendary Chinese. Since children are generally the most vulnerable to disease, they received extra care at this special time.

二、Hanging Calamus and Moxa

Hang calamus and moxa (oriental plants) on the front door. This is also to ward off evil.

三、Dragon Boat Race

An indispensable part of the festival, held all over the country. As the gun is fired, people will see racers in dragon-shaped canoes pulling the oars hurriedly, accompanied by rapid drums, speeding toward their destination.

四、The Culture of Zongzi

An essential food of the Dragon Boat Festival. People will soak glutinous rice, wash reed leaves and wrap up zongzi themselves. Otherwise, they will go to shops to buy whatever stuff they want. The custom of eating zongzi is now popular in North and South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations.

五、Spice Bag

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.

六、Realgar Wine

This is for protection from evil and disease for the rest of the year. In one word, all of the activities to protect themselves from evil and honor the poet Qu Yuan.