Dragon Boat Festival

Other than "Dragon Boat Festival", used as the official English translation of the holiday by the People's Republic of China. The Chinese name of the festival is pronounced differently in different Chinese languages. Duanwu () literally means 'starting five'—i.e., the first "fifth day" of the month according to the Chinese zodiac. However, despite the literal meaning referring to the Earthly Branches, this character has also become associated with , due to the characters often having the same pronunciation. Hence Duanwu, the festival on "the fifth day of the fifth month". ==History==

Origin The fifth lunisolar month is considered an unlucky and poisonous month, and the fifth day of the fifth month especially so. people also supposedly get sick easily after this day. Big ceremonies and performances developed from these practices in many areas, making the Dragon Boat Festival a day for getting rid of disease and bad luck. Qu Yuan The story best known in modern China holds that the festival commemorates the death of the poet and minister Qu Yuan (–278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu during the Warring States period of the Zhou dynasty. A cadet member of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance and even accused of treason. It is said that the local people, who admired him, raced out in their boats to save him, or at least retrieve his body. This is said to have been the origin of dragon boat races. Wu Zixu Another origin story says that the festival commemorates Wu Zixu (died 484 BC), a statesman of the Kingdom of Wu. races at Dajia Riverside Park in Taipei Cao E is depicted in the Wu Shuang Pu ("Table of Peerless Heroes") by Jin Guliang. Pre-existing holiday Some modern research suggests that the stories of Qu Yuan or Wu Zixu were possibly superimposed onto pre-existing holiday traditions. The promotion of these stories might have been encouraged by Confucian scholars, seeking to legitimize and strengthen their influence in China. The relationship between zongzi, Qu Yuan and the Dragon Boat Festival first appeared during the early Han dynasty. The stories of both Qu Yuan and Wu Zixu were recorded in Sima Qian's Shiji, completed 187 and 393 years after the respective events, because historians wanted to praise both characters. According to some, the holiday may have originated as a celebration of agriculture, fertility, and rice growing in southern China. As recently as 1952 the American sociologist Wolfram Eberhard wrote that it was more widely celebrated in southern China than in the north. Another theory is that the Dragon Boat Festival originated from dragon worship. 21st century In 2008 the Dragon Boat Festival was made a national public holiday in China. ==Public holiday==

'' by Li Zhaodao (675–758) The festival was long marked as a cultural festival in China and is a public holiday in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The People's Republic of China's government established in 1949 did not initially recognize the Dragon Boat Festival as a public holiday but reintroduced it in 2008 alongside two other festivals in a bid to boost traditional culture. The Dragon Boat Festival is unofficially observed by the Chinese communities of Southeast Asia, including Singapore and Malaysia. In Singapore, each dialect group has its own unique style of rice dumplings, with different ingredients and wrapping methods that reflect a rich diversity of cultural flavors. Equivalent and related official festivals include the Korean Dano, Japanese Tango no sekku, and Vietnamese Tết Đoan Ngọ. ==Practices and activities==

(fl. 1275–1330) Three of the most widespread activities conducted during the Dragon Boat Festival are eating (and preparing) zongzi, drinking realgar wine, and racing dragon boats. Dragon boat racing Dragon boat racing has a rich history of ancient ceremonial and ritualistic traditions, which originated in southern central China more than 2500 years ago. The legend starts with the story of Qu Yuan, who was a minister in one of the Warring State governments, Chu. Food related to 5 'Wu' (午) in the name 'Duanwu' has a pronunciation similar to that of the number 5 in multiple Chinese dialects, and thus many regions have traditions of eating food that is related to the number 5. For example, the Guangdong and Hong Kong regions have the tradition of having congee made from 5 different beans. Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Huangshan area have the custom to eat "five yellow", which refers to five different foods with "yellow" in names. Realgar wine Realgar wine or Xionghuang wine is a Chinese alcoholic drink that is made from Chinese liquor dosed with powdered realgar, a yellow-orange arsenic sulfide mineral. 5-colored silk-threaded braid In some regions of China, people, especially children, wear silk ribbons or threads of 5 colors (blue, red, yellow, white, and black, representing the five elements) on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival. The sun is considered to be at its strongest around the time of the summer solstice, as the daylight in the northern hemisphere is the longest. The sun, like the Chinese dragon, traditionally represents masculine energy, whereas the moon, like the phoenix, traditionally represents feminine energy. The summer solstice is considered the annual peak of male energy while the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, represents the annual peak of feminine energy. The masculine image of the dragon has thus become associated with the Dragon Boat Festival. == Gallery ==

File:Tomishiro ha-ri.jpg|Hari in Tomigusuku, Okinawa, Japan File:Dragon boats racing at 2008 SFIDBF 02.JPG|A dragon boat racing in San Francisco, 2008 File:Bakcang.JPG|Uncooked zongzi File:Pehcun Festival.jpg|Egg balancing in Tangerang, Indonesia File:Liang Island 亮島 4729773746 6dfa4b9d6f o.jpg|Taiwan's president Ma Ying-jeou visiting Liang Island before the Dragon Boat Festival (2010) The sign reads: "Respectfully Wishing the President a Joyous Dragon Boat Festival"() ==See also==