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The Dragon Boat Festival, also called the Duan Wu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar. For thousands of years, the festival has been marked by eating zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped to form a pyramid using bamboo or reed leaves) and racing dragon boats.
The festival is best known for its dragon-boat races, especially in the southern provinces where there are many rivers and lakes. This regatta commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, an honest minister who is said to have committed suicide by drowning himself in a river.
Qu was a minister in the State of Chu, situated in present-day Hunan and Hubei provinces, during the Warring States Period (475-221BC). He was upright, loyal and |
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highly esteemed for his wise counsel that brought peace and prosperity to the state. He did much to fight against the rampant corruption that plagued the court - thereby earning the envy and fear of other officials. Therefore, when he urged the emperor to avoid conflict with the Qin Kingdom, some dishonest and corrupt officials vilified Qu. Hence he was disgraced and dismissed from office. In exile, he traveled, taught and wrote for several years. Hearing that the Chu had been defeated by the Qin, Qu grabbed a large stone and leapt into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month. His last poem reads:
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Many a heavy sigh I have in my despair,
Grieving that I was born in such an unlucky time.
I yoked a team of jade dragons to a phoenix chariot,
And waited for the wind to come,
to sour up on my journey
As he was so loved by the people, nearby fishermen rushed over to try and save him but were unable to even recover his body.
The people of Chu who mourned the death of Qu threw rice into the river to feed his ghost every year on the fifth day of the fifth month. But one year, the spirit of Qu appeared and told the mourners that a huge reptile in the river had stolen the rice. The spirit then advised them to wrap the rice in silk and bind it with five different-colored threads before tossing it into the river.
During the Duan Wu Festival, a glutinous rice pudding called zong zi is eaten to symbolize the rice offerings to Qu. Ingredients such as beans, lotus seeds, chestnuts, pork fat and the golden yolk of a salted duck egg are often added to the glutinous rice. The pudding is then wrapped with bamboo leaves, bound with a kind of raffia and boiled in salt water for hours.
The dragon-boat races symbolize the many attempts to rescue and recover Qu’s body. A typical dragon boat ranges from 50-100 feet in length, with a beam of about 5.5 feet, accommodating two paddlers seated side by side. Depending on the length, up to 80 rowers can power the boat.
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A wooden open-mouthed dragon head is attached at the bow, and a dragon tail at the stern. A banner hoisted on a pole is also fastened at the stern and the hull is decorated with red, green and blue scales edged in gold. In the center of the boat is a canopied shrine behind which the drummers, gong beaters and cymbal players are seated to set the pace for the paddlers. Before a dragon boat enters competition, it must be "brought to life" by painting the eyes in a sacred ceremony. There are also men positioned at the bow to set off firecrackers, toss rice into the water and pretend to be looking for Qu. All of the noise and pageantry creates an atmosphere of gaiety and excitement for the participants and spectators alike. The races are held among different clans, villages and organizations. They can have any number of boats competing, with the winner being the first team to grab a flag at the end of the course. Then the winners are awarded medals, banners, festive meals and jugs of wine.
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| Another aspect of the Duan Wu Festival is the timing: at the beginning of summer, when diseases are likely to strike and people wear talisman to fend off evil spirits. They may hang the picture of Zhong Kui, guardian against evil spirits, on the door of their homes, as well. Adults may drink Xiong Huang Wine, and children carry fragrant silk pouches, all of which can prevent evil. It is said that if you can balance a raw egg on its head at exactly noon during the Duan Wu Festival, the rest of the year you will be lucky. |
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Weekly Chinese Words |
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| Chinese |
Transcription |
Part of speech |
Meaning |
| 赛龙舟 |
sài lóng zhōu |
Noun |
regatta |
| 自杀 |
zì shā |
Noun |
suicide |
| 妒忌 |
dù ji |
Verb |
envy |
| 爬行动物 |
pá xíng dòng wu |
Noun |
reptile |
| 船尾 |
chuán wěi |
Noun |
stern |
| 花瓶 |
huā píng |
Noun |
vase |
| 铜锣 |
tóng luó |
Noun |
gong |
| 铙钹 |
náo bō |
Noun |
cymbal |
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