| The Dragon Boat Festival (端午节 duān wǔ jié) is an official public holiday in China. This traditional holiday, also called the Double Fifth festival, is celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese lunar calendar (农历 nóng lì). The use of the lunar calendar to set the festival’s date means that it is celebrated at a different time every year. Generally, the holiday falls anywhere from the end of May to the end of June according to the Gregorian calendar (阳历 yánglì). This year, the festival is celebrated on June 3.  How do people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival? The dragon boat festival is a fun, boisterous holiday. In most parts of China, the weather is quite good at this time of year, and people congregate outside on the banks of rivers and lakes to enjoy the fine weather while watching traditional dragon boat races (赛龙舟 sài lóng zhōu). Originally, dragon boats were made of teak. Today, however, most dragon boats are made of modern materials such as fiberglass. During races, the boats are fitted out with a colorful dragon head and tail. Dragon boats are long and thin. Although the size of the boats and their crews can vary, in most cases, the crew consists of 20 paddlers who sit side-by-side in pairs facing the bow. There is also a drummer who sits at the bow of the boat facing the paddlers. During a race, the drummer leads the paddlers by beating rhythmically on a drum. In addition to the drummer, there is also a steerer who sits in the back of the boat and helps to steer it using a long steering oar. The distance covered by racers can vary from 100 to 2,000 meters. The most common length for a race, however, is 500 meters. Eating zòngzi Almost every Chinese holiday has a specific food or foods associated with it, and Dragon Boat Festival is no different. On this holiday, the food of choice is zòngzi (粽子). Zòngzi are a type of pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice and stuffed with various sweet or savory fillings. Common fillings for sweet zòngzi include sweet red bean paste or jujube (Chinese dates). Savory zòngzi might be stuffed with salted egg yolks, pork or mushrooms. The dumplings themselves are wrapped in bamboo leaves, tied with a string, and either steamed or boiled. |
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