The Chinese culture has provided us with quite a number of reasons to celebrate. Of these, the Dragon Boat Festival has been one of the most outstanding extravaganzas from China. Duānwǔ Jié, as it is known in the Chinese language falls on the 5th day of the 5th of the Chinese lunar calendar and that is just around the corner. But is the dragon boat festival just about boats? It simply isn’t. Let’s take a look at the traditions, food and all the other things that make Duānwǔ Jié truly special.
The tales behind the tradition
How old is this festival? Duānwǔ Jié has been celebrated by the Chinese for at least 2,500 years now. There are quite a few tales regarding its origin. The most prominent among these is that of Qu Yuan, a high-ranking official of the Chu state. However, Qu was banished due to false allegations of treason. Many years later when his homeland was conquered, the patriotic Qu is said to have jumped into the river Miluo and drowned himself. The villagers from the surrounding regions rowed out into the river so as to save him or at least bring back his body. They did not succeed in finding him and threw balls of rice into the river so that the fishes may not eat Qu’s body. Similar stories with different protagonists are prevalent as well. We come across patriots such as Cao E, Wu Zixu who drowned to their death in much the same way as Qu Yuan.
The Dragon Boat Races
The most popular symbols of the festival are undoubtedly the Dragon Boat Races. They commemorate the act of the local villagers rowing out into the river to recover the body of Qu Yuan. The boats resemble the shape of dragons. Races are conducted across the country and the participants take part in them with great spirit, accompanied to the beat of drums. The winners are said to bring good luck to their locality.
The sticky rice specials and others
Zongzi (rice dumplings) is the main dish for this occasion. This is again in keeping with the lore. Depending upon the region the dumplings are filled with sweets and savoury. The fillings include beans, dates, pork and salted eggs. They are wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. The delicacy is expected to bring in good luck. Drinking realgar wine is also common as part of the celebrations. Food items associated with the letter five (for example, dishes made with five main ingredients) are also consumed owing to the fact that the festival falls on the fifth of the fifth month.
Waving away the evil
The time when the festival is celebrated is associated with an increased incidence of disease. Diseases and ill luck are sought to be shooed away with the help of things such as handmade pouches hung around the necks of children and mug wort or calamus that are made to hang in front of houses. On the day, people clean their house and surrounding areas and hope to bring in good luck for the family.
So, do you wish that you were born in China now? Don’t worry. The dragon festival and boat races are celebrated in our country as well. All you have to do is go online and find out when and where. Now that you know the story behind it, go out, make a trip to China or find someplace at home where you can revel in the celebrations of Duānwǔ Jié which falls on the 7th of June this year.
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