What You Should Know about Dragon Boat Festival

Zongzi, also known as jiaoshu in ancient times, was originally offered as sacrifices to ancestors and the Dragon God. Later, it became a tribute to Qu Yuan, the patriotic poet. Local people tossed zongzi into rivers to stop fish and shrimp from eating his body.

Made by steaming glutinous rice wrapped in reed or indocalamus leaves, zongzi falls into two major styles: sweet and savoury. During the Dragon Boat Festival, families eat zongzi together, a tradition symbolizing family reunion, harmony and safety.

Dragon boat racing stands as the festival’s signature tradition. It originated when villagers rowed boats out to retrieve Qu Yuan’s body after he drowned himself in the river. Each boat is carved with an ornate dragon head, and rowers paddle in unison to the beat of drums, embodying unity, perseverance and fearless courage. The Dragon Boat Festival was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2009, with dragon boat racing as its quintessential folk custom.

These unique handcrafted ornaments are fabric pouches stitched from colourful silk, stuffed with natural herbs including mugwort, mint, clove and calamus.

When worn by children, they keep mosquitoes away and soothe the mind. Folk tradition regards sachets as protective talismans that safeguard kids’ safety. Featuring delicate, vibrant designs, they stand out as iconic cultural creations of the Dragon Boat Festival.

Woven from five strands of silk in green, red, white, black and yellow, the threads correspond respectively to the five elements: wood, fire, metal, water and earth. Tied around children’s wrists and ankles early on Dragon Boat Festival morning, they are meant to lock in good fortune and ward off poisonous insects and misfortune.

Per ancient custom, the five-colored threads should be removed and tossed into running water during the first heavy rain after the festival. The flowing rainwater carries away ailments and all ill luck.

An old folk saying goes, "Hang willows on Qingming, and mugwort on Dragon Boat Festival." Early summer brings swarms of mosquitoes and rampant illnesses. Mugwort contains natural aromatic volatile oils; hung above doorways and windows, it purifies the air and repels venomous bugs.

Ancient Chinese people believed mugwort embodied pure yang energy, capable of dispelling evil spirits and protecting households. Many regions still uphold the tradition of bathing in water boiled with mugwort leaves, a ritual meant to wash away ailments and bad luck for the whole year.

The symbolic meaning of flying kites during the Dragon Boat Festival differs greatly from flying them on spring outings. Ancient Chinese regarded the fifth lunar month as an "ill-omened month" prone to rampant diseases. After sending kites high into the sky, people would cut the strings and let them drift far away with the wind. This custom symbolizes casting off physical ailments, disasters and all bad luck, as people pray for a year free of sickness and misfortune.