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The People's Chinese Dictionary

Date The fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese calendar. June 19th in 2007.

Way of celebration Dragon boat contests, eating glutinous rice dumplings and drinking yellow wine are all part of the Dragon Boat Festival..

Origin

There are many legends about the evolution of the festival, the most popular of which is in commemoration of Qu Yuan (屈原, 340-278 BC). Qu Yuan was minister of the State of Chu and one of China's earliest poets. In the face of great pressure from the powerful Qin State, he advocated enriching the country and strengthening its military forces so as to fight against the Qin. However, he was opposed by aristocrats headed by Zi Lan, and later deposed and exiled by King Huai. In his exiled days, he still cared much for his country and people and composed immortal poems including Li Sao (离骚, The Lament), Tian Wen (天问, Heavenly Questions) and Jiu Ge (九歌, Nine Songs), which had far-reaching influences. In 278 BC, he heard the news that Qin troops had finally conquered Chu's capital, so he finished his last piece Huai Sha (怀沙, Embracing Sand) and plunged himself into the Miluo River (汨罗江), clasping his arms to a large stone. The day happened to be the 5th of the 5th month in the Chinese lunar calendar. After his death, the people of Chu flocked to the bank of the river to pay their respects to him. The fishermen sailed their boats up and down the river to look for his body. People threw into the water zongzi (pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves) and eggs to divert possible fish or shrimp from attacking his body. An old doctor poured a jug of realgar wine (Chinese liquor seasoned with realgar) into the water, hoping to make all aquatic beasts drunk. That's why people later followed the customs such as dragon boat racing, eating zongzi and drinking realgar wine on this day. Dragon boat racing is 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 harmoniously and hurriedly, accompanied by rapid drums, speeding toward their destination. Folk tales say the game originates from the activities of seeking Qu Yuan's body, but experts, after painstaking and meticulous research, conclude that dragon boat racing is a semi-religious, semi-entertaining program from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). In the following thousands of years, the game spread to Japan, Vietnam and Britain as well as China's Taiwan and Hong Kong. Now dragon boat racing has developed into an aquatic sports event that features both Chinese tradition and modern sporting spirit. In 1980, it was listed into state sports competition programs and has since been held every year. The award given to the winner is called the "Qu Yuan Cup."

Other

Zongzi (粽子) is the essential food of the Dragon Boat Festival. It is said that people first ate them in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). In early times, the filling consisted of only glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in reed or other plant leaves and tied with colored thread, but now the fillings are more diversified, including jujube and bean paste, fresh meat, and ham and egg yolk. If time permits, people will soak glutinous rice, wash reed leaves and wrap up zongzi themselves. Otherwise, they will go to shops to buy whatever they need. The custom of eating zongzi is also now popular in North and South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations. On Dragon Boat Festival, parents also need to dress their children up with a perfume pouch (香囊). They first sew little bags with colorful silk cloth, then fill the bags with perfumes or herbal medicines, and finally string them with silk threads. The perfume pouch will be hung around the neck or tied to the front of a garment as an ornament. They are said to be able to ward off evil.

Vocabulary

端午节