Dragon Boat Festival

Dragons, dragons, dragons!

We know that Chinese people LOVE dragons.

But did you know that one of the oldest sports in China is also dragon related?

That's right, it's the dragon boat race!

The very first dragon boat race took place more than 2,000 years ago...

and is still taking place today!

Dragon boat races happen every year during duān wǔ jiē,

which is called the Dragon Boat Festival in English.

duān wǔ jiē takes place on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese lunar calendar,

so it typically falls in May or June.

duān wǔ jiē, or Dragon Boat Festival is one of the three big Chinese festivals -

along with the Chinese New Year (chūn jiē)

and the Mid-Autumn Festival (zhōng qiū jiē)

So where did the Dragon Boat Festival, or duān wǔ jiē, come from?

Well, there once lived a great Chinese poet named Qu Yuan.

Qu Yuan served as the emperor's advisor and was held in the highest regard by the Chinese people for his patriotism.

However, his enemies spoke badly of him to the emperor so the emperor banished Qu Yuan from the imperial court.

Without Quyuan's advice, the emperor continued to make ill decisions that caused the country's downfall.

Qu Yuan, who loved his country very much, was overwhelmed with sadness.

He waded into the Miluo River while holding a large stone, eventually disappearing into the waters.

When the people of China heard about this, they set out on their boats to search for Qu Yuan's body.

They searched long and hard but never found him.

To prevent Qu Yuan's body from being eaten by the fishes,

the villagers made rice balls wrapped in leaves and dropped these rice balls into the river.

These rice balls became known as zòng zǐ

and are still widely eaten during duān wǔ jiē today.

The most common type of zòng zǐ is made from sticky rice filled with meat,

mushrooms, and other delicious stuffings.

The ingredients are then wrapped in bamboo leaves and tied and hung up with ropes.

There are many different types of zòng zǐ -

some sweet and some savory - but all equally delicious!

Qu Yuan's story is very sad, but it reminds us of the important values in Chinese culture -

patriotism, loyalty, and honor.

Qu Yuan's story also gave us the wonderful dragon boat races,

which in Chinese is known as sài lóng zhōu.

lóng means dragon (remember xiǎo lóng?)

while zhōu means boat.

lóng zhōu means dragon boat!

To this day, , families typically gather during duān wǔ jiē to eat yummy zòng zǐ,

and watch the lóng zhōu races together.

Often, children will carry "xiāng bāo",

or small bags filled with sweet smelling herbs and powder.

These xiāng bāo are not only beautiful and fragrant,

they are also believed to help drive away insects and disease!

Now that we've learned about the Dragon Boat Festival,

or duān wǔ jiē,

Let's review some of the key words you might hear around this time of year!

Listen closely, because these words will also help you score high points on a game later on!

Ready?

Okay

duān wǔ jiē

duān wǔ jiē

This means the Dragon Boat Festival!

It is a holiday established for the remembrance of the patriotic poet

Qū Yuán.

Qū Yuán

What sport is most popular during duān wǔ jiē?

Yep! sài lóng zhōu.

lóng zhōu

lóng zhōu means the dragon boat!

And, what do we eat during duān wǔ jiē?

You got it!

zòng zǐ

zòng zǐ

And lastly, children wear xiāng bāo during duān wǔ jiē

to ward off insects and bad fortune!

xiāng bāo

xiāng bāo

duān wǔ jiē is such an important holiday.

Let's learn how to write these characters.

duān

wǔ

jiē

Don't forget to download the activity pack for duān wǔ jiē

on www.littlechineselearners.com/resources.

See you next time!