Dragon Boat Festivalis a traditional Chinese holiday whichfalls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which is in late May or Juneon the Gregorian calendar.In 2023, Dragon Boat Festivalfalls onJune 22(Thursday). China will have3 days of public holidayfrom Thursday (June 22) to Saturday (June 24).
Dragon Boat Festival is one of the four top traditional Chinese festivals, along with the Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day,and Mid-Autumn Festival.
In addition to Chinese mainland, many other Asian countries and regionsalso celebrate this festival. In Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan, China, it is known as Bak Chang Festival(‘Dumpling Festival').Learn more facts about the Dragon Boat Festival
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- Names of Dragon Boat Festival
- Why Is Dragon Boat Festival So Important?
- The Origins of the Dragon Boat Festival
- How Do People Celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival?
- Dragon Boat Festival Greetings: Happy or Health?
Names of Dragon Boat Festival
Dragon Boat Festival has more than twenty names and each has its own meaningand origins. It is called DuanwuJiein Mandarin and TuenNgin Cantonese, and is also known as ‘Dumpling Festival’and ‘Double Fifth Festival’.
1. Dragon Boat Festival
It is called Dragon Boat Festival,or LongzhouJie(龙舟节) in Chinese,because of its close association with dragonboats. Chinese people attach great cultural significance to dragons.The two main activities during the festival are eating zongzi(rice dumplings) and boat races, and bothare related to dragons.
Zongzihave long beenthrown into riversas offerings andsacrifices to the Dragon Godon lunar month 5 day 5, while dragon boats are used in races traditionally held on this day. So,it is also called the Dragon Boat Festival.
2. Duanwu Jie
The Dragon Boat Festival is called DuanwuJie(端午节) in Mandarin Chinese. Duan(端) means ‘start’, while wu(午) means ‘noon’, but also ‘the fifthsolar month’in the traditional Chinese calendar (approximately June 6 – July 6), centered around the summer solstice.‘The month of noon’marksthe middle of summer. Hence,DuanwuJiemeans ‘the beginning of mid-summerfestival’.
Also, 端五is a variantof Duanwuusingwu(五), the Chinese character meaning ‘five’. So ‘Duanwu’can alsomean‘Start of the Fifth Solar Month’.
3. Double Fifth Festival
Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, hence it is also called “Double Fifth Festival”(ChongwuJie重五节 in Chinese). Seewhy it is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
Why Is Dragon Boat Festival So Important?
Many believe thatDragon Boat Festival is celebrated to commemoratethe death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet, and ministerknown for his patriotism and contributions to classical poetry,who eventually became a national hero.
However, it is evidenced that the Dragon Boat Festival actually came before the death of Qu Yuan. Its earliest origin is related to the fifth lunar month which was known to ancients as the ‘month of poison’. During the early hot days of summer, people wouldeasily fall ill and epidemics spread. Thismadethe month seemevil, so people in ancient times regarded it as an important timeto prevent diseases and keep evil spirits away.
Therefore, Dragon Boat Festival was originally regarded as a traditional medical and health festival. It is traditionally a festival for people to (ceremonially) come against diseases and poisonous insects.As the coronavirus pandemic continues across the world, this year's Dragon Boat Festival has a renewed focus on health.
The Origins of the Dragon Boat Festival
There are many legends about the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. The most popular ones are as follows:
The Death of Qu Yuan
The most popular one is in commemoration of Qu Yuan.Qu Yuan (340–278 BC) was a patriotic poet and exiled official during the Warring States Period of ancient China. He drowned himself in the Miluo River on the 5th day of the 5th Chinese lunar month, when his beloved Chu State fell to the State of Qin.Local people desperately tried to save Qu Yuan or recover his body, to no avail.
In order to commemorate Qu Yuan, every fifth day of the fifth lunar month people beat drums and paddle out in boats on the river as they once did to keep fish and evil spirits away from his body. Learn moreaboutthe History and Legends of the Dragon Boat Festival.
The Unlucky Fifth Month
Another possible explanation for the origins of the festival relates to the calendar placement of the occasion.
Since ancient times, the fifth lunar month has been considered an unlucky month, and is known to some as the ‘month of poison’,because the dreaded‘five poisonous creatures’(五毒wǔdú)begin to emergein this month.Traditionally, the five creatures refer to centipedes, scorpions, snakes, toads,and spiders. Poisonous creatures, brought out by the warming weatherandseasonal fluctuations, as well asnatural disasters and illnesses are commonin the fifth month.
The fifth day of the fifth month(“double five”) was believed to be avery inauspiciousday. On this day, people wouldput wormwood and calamus on the door and worefragrant mugwort pouches (香包).Since the shape of calamusleavesis like that of a sword and due tothe strong smell of the herb, it is believed that calamuscan keep pests as well as evil spirits away.So,Dragon Boat Festival is also called "Calamus Festival"(菖蒲节ChāngpúJié).
How Do People Celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival?
Dragon Boat Festival customs can be roughly divided into two categories.One is to worship the god of dragon and heroes, such as Qu Yuan. The activities include dragon boat races and eating glutinous rice dumplings.
Another category aims to fend off evils and keep people healthy. The activities include bathing in herbal concoctions, hanging wormwood and calamus, and drinking realgar wine.
1. Eating Sticky Rice Dumplings
Zongzi(粽子zòngzi /dzong-dzuh/) are themost traditional Dragon Boat Festival food. Related to Qu Yuan commemoration, the legend says that lumps of rice (not unlike zongzi) were thrown into the river to stop fish eating his drowned body.
In the past, every family would make sticky ricedumplingsand pass them out as gifts, receive them, and eat them. Today only a few of the more traditional older family members will bother to cook their own, while the majority are purchased from restaurants and bakers.
Zongzi are made of glutinous rice filled with meats, beans, and other fillings. They are wrapped intriangle or rectangle shapeswithin bamboo or reed leaves and tied with soaked stalks or colorful silky cords. The flavors ofzongziare usually different from one region to another across China.Read moreonZongzi.
2. Participating In or Attending Dragon Boat Races
Dragon boat racing is the most important activity of the Dragon Boat Festival.Itis said to originate from the legend of people paddling out on boats to seek the body of patriotic poet Qu Yuan (343–278 BC), who drowned himself in a River.
There is another explanation. It is believed that dragon boat racing can be traced back to over 2,000 yearsago,when it was a way to worship the Dragon Godor Water God.
Thewooden boatsare shaped and decorated in the form of aChinese dragon. The boats’size varies by region and usually need30–60 people to paddle them. During the races,dragon boat teams paddle harmoniously and hurriedly, accompanied by the sound of beating drums. It is said that the winning team will have good luck and a happy life in the following year.
The most famous dragon boat racescan be found in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou. Read moreonDragon Boat Racing.
3. Hanging Chinese Mugwort and Calamus
The Dragon Boat Festival is held at the start of summer when diseases are more prevalent. Mugwort leaves are used medicinally in Chinato combat such diseases.Their fragrance detersflies and mosquitoes. Calamus is an aquatic plant that has similar effects.
On the fifth day of the fifth month, people usually clean their houses, courtyards, and hang mugwort and calamus on doors lintels to discourage diseases. It is also said hanging mugwort and calamus can bring good luck to the family.
4. Drinking Realgar Wine
There is an old saying: 'Drinking realgar wine drives diseasesand evils away!' Realgar wine is a Chinese alcoholic drink consisting of fermented cereals and powdered realgar(ruby-like arsenic sulphide).
In ancient times, people believed that realgar was an antidote for all poisons, and effective for killing insects and driving away evil spirits. So,everyone would drink some realgar wine during the Dragon BoatFestival.
Learn moreaboutDragon Boat Festival Food.
5. Wearing Perfume Pouches
Before Dragon Boat Festival arrives, parents usually prepare perfume pouches for their children.They sew little bags with colorful silk cloth, fill the bags with perfumes or herbal medicines, and then string them shut with silk threads.
During Dragon Boat Festival perfume pouches are hung around kids' necks or tied to the front of a garment as an ornament. The perfume pouches are said to protect them from evil.Learn moreonDragon Boat Festival Customs.
Dragon Boat Festival Greetings
Didyou know that “Happy Dragon Boat Festival”(端午快乐Duānwǔjiékuàilè)might not be an appropriate greeting,even though it sounds quite natural?(This is because of the solemn commemorative and evil-suppressing aspects of the day.)
“Safe and Healthy Dragon Boat Festival”(端午安康Duānwǔjiéānkāng)is getting more popularas a greeting. Click to know how to greetpeopleduringDragon Boat Festival, and why.
FAQs
Why is it important to give answers to questions? ›
We ask questions in order to learn more information about something, and we answer questions to provide more information. Asking and answering questions is not only a part of how we learn, but it is also a part of our social skills; we ask and answer questions to be polite and build and maintain relationships.
Why is it important to ask why so many times? ›Asking 'why' helps us confront our fears and reveal an honest answer as to why we feel the way we feel. Questioning 'why' can open channels to honest communication that can improve relationships. It gives us the chance to question ourselves and our assumptions.
How do you answer a question you don't know the answer to? ›- Stay calm. Interviewers may sometimes ask a difficult question to assess your response, rather than to test your knowledge. ...
- Ask clarifying questions. ...
- Share what you do know. ...
- Be honest. ...
- Express your desire to learn.
When you ask a good question, the person you're talking to understands exactly what you mean. Sometimes you need this type of question when talking to other team members. Clear questions can clarify deadlines and uncover who is responsible or what vendor has already been signed. Good questions avoid confusion.
Who said that questions are more important than answers? ›According to the ideas of Socrates as passed down to us by Plato, it is only through continual questioning and refinement of our ideas and thoughts in discussion with others that we discover the true nature of what we truly value and hold dear.
Is avoiding answering a question lying? ›Liars and truth-tellers both have pauses in their speech, but good liars avoid answering questions, scientists say. DESPITE WHAT YOU MIGHT think, it is almost impossible to tell a liar from the way they talk, according a new study.
How do you answer you don't have enough experience? ›If you're asked a question about prior experience regarding something you've never done, the best way to answer isn't to say, “No, I've never done that.” Or, “No, I don't have experience in that area.” The best way to handle the question is to say something along these lines: While I have not had any direct experience ...
How do you answer a question without saying yes or no? ›- Make Sure You Understand The Question. ...
- Take Time To Respond. ...
- Answer Part Of The Question. ...
- Postpone Your Answer. ...
- Turn Around the Pronouns. ...
- Divert The Question. ...
- Give The Asker Some Control.
- Where did I come from?
- Who am I?
- Why am I here?
- How should I live?
- Where am I going?
Happiness, compassion, love and peace are all part of life and must be shared and not hoarded, for that will interfere with the flow of life. To be happy, we have to all know that we are part of the life force.
What is the main point in life? ›
For most people, the point of life is to try to have a happy and satisfying existence and a life that fulfills our physical, emotional, and mental necessities. In the process, like on any journey, you walk, you fall, you pick yourself up, and do it again until you reach the end.
Why is it important to not stop questioning? ›Albert Einstein said “the important thing is not to stop questioning; curiosity has its own reason for existing”. We never stop learning, we always have the capacity to learn newer and better ways of doing things, responding to things, and of existing with others in the world.
Why is quality questioning important? ›By asking quality questions, the students construct and design ideas for transferring the skills learned through classroom leadership roles to other areas of their lives.
Why is it important to ask strong questions? ›The research shows that asking more questions builds emotional intelligence, lending to better soft skills - key in leadership at work and interpersonal relationship building. Asking questions is an effective way to better communicate and connect with others. “Curiosity for me has helped me make sense of the world.
What are the 5 Socratic questions? ›- Clarifying concepts. ...
- Probing assumptions. ...
- Probing rationale, reasons and evidence. ...
- Questioning viewpoints and perspectives. ...
- Probing implications and consequences. ...
- Questioning the question.
They are driven by doubt, curiosity and wonderment. It is our questions that fuel and drive our thinking. Many problems arise from making assumptions. If you assume, you think you know when you probably don't.
What words do liars use? ›...
4. Overemphasizing their trustworthiness: "To be honest."
- "To be honest"
- "To tell you the truth"
- "Believe me"
- "Let me be clear"
- "The fact is"
- A Change in Speech Patterns. One telltale sign someone may not be telling the whole truth is irregular speech. ...
- The Use of Non-Congruent Gestures. ...
- Not Saying Enough. ...
- Saying Too Much. ...
- An Unusual Rise or Fall in Vocal Tone. ...
- Direction of Their Eyes. ...
- Covering Their Mouth or Eyes. ...
- Excessive Fidgeting.
You have the constitutional right to remain silent. In general, you do not have to talk to law enforcement officers (or anyone else), even if you do not feel free to walk away from the officer, you are arrested, or you are in jail. You cannot be punished for refusing to answer a question.
What is usually the most important question? ›“Why?” is the most important question you could ever ask. And like the subtitle says, it's the one question that you should never stop asking. If we never asked “Why?” then I could just stop writing this right now and nobody would even care. But the “Why” gives us answers that continually move us forward.
What are your deepest questions in life? ›
- When was the last time you tried something new? ...
- Who do you sometimes compare yourself to? ...
- What's the most sensible thing you've ever heard someone say? ...
- What gets you excited about life? ...
- What life lesson did you learn the hard way?