Today is Dragon Boat Festival.
Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. It is said to commemorate the death of the famous Chinese poet and minister Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Miluo River in protest against corruption and injustice.
One of the most famous traditions of Dragon Boat Festival is dragon boat racing, where teams of rowers paddle fiercely to the rhythm of drumbeats in long, narrow boats designed to look like dragons. Another popular custom is to eat zongzi, a sticky rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, which are said to have been thrown into the river to prevent fish from eating Qu Yuan’s body.
Other customs include wearing perfumed medicine bags to protect against evil spirits, drinking realgar wine (a traditional Chinese drink made with arsenic sulfide powder) to ward off insects and other pests, and hanging mugwort and calamus leaves on doors and windows for good luck.
Dragon Boat Festival is not only celebrated in China but also in other parts of the world with significant Chinese communities, such as Taiwan province, Hong Kong China, and Singapore. It is a colorful and vibrant festival that showcases the rich cultural heritage of China and the bravery and heroism of its people.
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