Dragon Boat Festival 101

This year’s Dragon Boat Festival (龙船节 lóngchuán jié or 端午节 duānwǔ jié) falls on May 30. The annual holiday is to commemorate the life of scholar and poet Qu Yuan, who lived between 340 and 278BC, during the State of Chu. When the State of Qin was planning to overtake the Chu, Qu Yuan stepped up and came up with a plan to strengthen the Chu’s military forces. Sadly, many of Chu's aristocrats opposed Qu Yuan's idea and eventually exiled him. As a result, the Qin successfully conquered the Chu and upon seeing the defeat of his people, a heartbroken Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River.

Qu Yuan just chillin'

While this story has a rather bleak ending for our protagonist, the people of Chu admired Qu Yuan’s efforts and fought to preserve the scholar’s honor. Upon learning of his suicide, they threw glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaf (粽子 zòngzi) and realgar wine (雄黃酒 xiónghuángjiǔ) – both are now customary items for Dragon Boat Festival – into the water to prevent fish from desecrating on his body. His mourners also went to look for him, with fishermen setting out to sail up and down the river, which is where the tradition of Dragon Boat Racing (龙舟大赛 lóngzhōu dàsài) comes from.

Zòngzi

Of course, Dragon Boat Festival is now known best internationally for these dragon boat races, which are essentially a more extravagant version of rowing. During the event, competing teams row colorful dragon boats to the rhythm of beating drums in a race to the finish line. Sadly, such a spectacle is quite elusive in Beijing but there is one place that you can witness the tradition: the Olympic Water Park in Shunyi on May 30. If you’ve never experienced a dragon boat race, this is your chance.

If heading out to Shunyi is too much to ask then dabble in one of the many other customs practiced during Dragon Boat Festival which can be enjoyed much closer to home. For one, the festival falls between the summer months of May to June every year, which is incidentally marked as ‘poisonous’ months for Chinese farmers due to pests being the most active in this period of time. To drive away pests, Chinese people hang mugwort leaf and calamus (both plants have curative properties) on their doors.

Mugwort leaf and calamus are usually hung on doors

Chinese tradition states that there are five main poisonous pests that can bring most harm: snakes, centipedes, scorpions, lizards, and toads. To drive the pests away, Chinese people would make paper cuttings of the five pests to nail on doors or even print them out on cakes.

These five poisonous pests are also believed to bring harm to children’s health, so to ward off diseases, elders will make incense bags from calamus, wormwood, and realgar amongst other things. The concoction is then given to children to wear around their neck in a necklace to prevent them from catching diseases and keep evil spirits away. Lucky children.

Incense bags for children to wear

Another custom prevalent during Dragon Boat Festival is hanging a painting of the legendary Chinese exorcist Zhong Kui. In the paintings, Zhong Kui is usually depicted as a warrior brandishing his sword, and it is believed that this will scare away evil spirits and protect people from the poisonous air. We could all certainly do with his help.

Although, as you may have already noticed, Dragon Boat Festival is riddled with negative superstitions, it is still acts as a holiday for Chinese people to celebrate and pay their respect to old customs. Not to mention that we all get a long weekend. If you're unsure of how to spend your extra day then head over to our list of Beijing's best events over the holiday. If you're looking for Dragon Boat Festival specific events then scroll down below (all take place on Tuesday, May 30).

Beijing Official Dragon Boat Race
As mentioned before, this year’s official dragon boat race will be held at the Olympic Water Park. The race is organized by Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau, and in it, teams will compete to cross the finish line in their lively dragon boats. Although the official website does not mention the exact time of the race, we suggest arriving in the morning to find a comfortable spot. Free

Dragon Boat Festival Feast at the Great Wall
Want to have a traditional dragon boat dinner? Join The Brickyard's feast, filled with endless zongzi and other traditional fare, including cold and hot dishes, desserts, and beverages, as well as live music to accompany your meal. The fun starts at midday. Prices vary. The Brickyard Retreat Center at Mutianyu Great Wall

Dragon Boat Festival Family Festivities
Bring your family and friends to Green T. House this Dragon Boat Festival for an afternoon of cultural activities. Parents and children can enjoy family-friendly activities such as making incense bags, Dragon Boat crafts and a scaled-down version of the Dragon Boat Race will be held at Green T. House’s central pond. RMB 288 per child or RMB 888 for four. 2pm-6pm. Green T. House

Dragon Boat Festival at That's Mandarin
Learn how to make zongzi, the sticky-rice wrapped in bamboo leaves symbolic of this holiday, at That's Mandarin's evening of cultural activities and mingling. RMB 100. 7-9pm. That's Mandarin

Photos: chinatouradvisors.com, studyinchina, junglekey, whatsonxiamen.com, aliexpress, thebeijinger, courtesy of organizers

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