WENZHOU ZHENGXIN TYRE CO.,LTD

Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
www.cenew.com 2006-5-29 9:22:40 Click:3596

The Dragon Boat Festival, also called Double Fifth Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the
lunar calendar. It is one of the most important Chinese festivals, the other two being
the Autumn Moon Festival
and Chinese New Year. The origin of this summer festival centers around a scholarly government official named
Qu Yuan. He was a good and respected man, but because of the misdeeds of jealous
rivals he eventually fell into
disfavor in the emperor’s court.

Unable to regain the respect of the emperor, in his sorrow Qu Yuan threw himself
into the Mi Low river. Because of their admiration for Qu Yuan, the local people
living adjacent to the Mi Lo River rushed into their boats to
search for him while throwing rice into the waters to appease the river dragons.

Although they were unable to find Qu Yuan, their efforts are still commemorated
today during the Dragon Boat
Festival.

Dragon Boat race Traditions At the center of this festival are the dragon boat races.
Competing teams drive their
colorful dragon boats forward to the rhythm of beating drums. These exciting races
were inspired by the
villagers valiant attempts to rescue Qu Yuan from the Mi Lo river. This tradition has remained unbroken for centuries.

A very popular dish during the Dragon Boat festival is Zongzi. This tasty dish consistsof rice dumplings with meat, peanut, egg yolk, or other fillings wrapped in bamboo
leaves.
The tradition of Zongzi is meant to remind us of the village fishermen scattering rice across
the water of the Mi Low river in order to appease the river dragons so that they would not devour Qu Yuan.

Ay Taso The time of year of the Dragon Boat Festival, the fifth lunar moon, has more significance than just the
story of Qu Yuan. Many Chinese consider this time of year an especially dangerous time when extra efforts must be made to protect their family from illness. Families will hang various herbs, called Ay Tsao, on their door for
protection. The drinking of realgar wine is thought to remove poisons from the body. Hsiang Bao are also worn.
These sachets contain various fragrant medicinal herbs thought to protect the wearer from illness.