It’s Dragon Boat Festival this Thursday, June 22 this year. We are going to have a three days holiday here in China.

The Dragon Boat Festival or 端午节(Duānwǔ Jié), is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese lunar calendar.

The Dragon Boat Festival has been held annually for more than 2,000 years. The festival commemorates the death of the famous poet Qu Yuan who lived in the ancient state of Chu in the third century BC. 

The state Chu is in Hunan and Hubei provinces of current China. It is said when Qu Yuan heard that the Chu State was defeated by the strong Qin State, he was so despaired that he ended his life by drowning himself into the Miluo River. 

The local people, who admired him, raced out in their boats to save him or at least to retrieve his body. People make rice dumplings and dropped them into the river so that the fish would eat rice dumplings instead of Qu Yuan's body.

That’s the origin of two things we do during the Dragon Boat Festival, having dragon boats races, 赛龙舟(sàilóngzhōu), and eating rice dumplings, 吃粽子(chīzòngzi).  

Nǐ kàn guo sài lóngzhōu ma?

你看过赛龙舟吗？

Have you watched dragon boats races before?

Nǐ chī guo zòngzi ma?

你吃过粽子吗？

Have you tried rice dumplings before?

There is a long-time argument about if we should eat salty or sweet rice dumplings online here in China. They even formed 2 parties, sweet party and salty party. 甜党(tiándǎng) 和(hé) 咸党(xiándǎng) 

咸党(xiándǎng) usually live in southern China. They would like to eat salty rice dumplings with pork or salted egg yolks inside.  甜党(tiándǎng) are from northern China. They would like to eat sweet rice dumplings with red bean paste or red date inside. Which would you like to try?

Nǐ xǐhuan chī tián zòngzi háishì xián zòngzi?

你喜欢吃甜粽子还是咸粽子？

Do you like sweet rice dumplings or salty ones?

Nǐ shì Tiándǎng háishì Xiándǎng?

你是甜党还是咸党？

Are you a member of the the Sweet Party or the Salty Party? 

On Dragon Boat Festival, people also wear perfume bages,香包(xiāngbāo), which are made of colorful silk  and with perfumed Chinese herbs inside. 

People would also hang those perfumed herbs on their house door. In some places of southern China, people would like to drink a kind of rice wine on that day. All of these customs are traditions we believe could prevent disease or evil, because after Dragon Boat Festival, the hottest time of a year is coming in most part of China.

So for the Dragon Boat Festival, people will wish 端午安康(Duānwǔ ānkāng), instead of 端午快乐(Duānwǔ kuàilè). 安(ān) is from the word 平安(píng’ān), safe. 康(kāng) is from the word 健康(jiànkāng), healthy. 

Zhù nǐ Duānwǔ ānkāng!

祝你端午安康！

Wish you a safe and healthy Dragon Boat Festival!