Dragon Boat Festival, also known Duanwu Jie, falls on the fifth day on fifth lunar month of every year and since 2008, has been considered a public holiday. Main activities during this time include eating zongzi, drinking xionghuang wine, and watching dragon boat races.

Zongzi are made of glutinous rice stuffed with fillings, then wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, and tied with colored thread. The fillings vary region by region. In the north, the fillings are usually sweet: red bean paste, tapioca, or taro. In the south, they tend to be more savory. Fillings include duck egg, pork, chicken, or mushrooms.

Xionghuang jiu, also known as realgar wine, is a Chinese liquor seasoned with realgar. The tradition of drinking xionghuang wine is also related to the fact that Dragon Boat Festival marked the beginning of summer and the appearance of dangerous animals and evil spirits. Since xionghuang wine contains arsenic sulfide, drinking it was meant to protect people from these doers of harm.

The reason why dragon boats are dragon-shaped is that dragons in Chinese culture are considered rulers of rivers, lakes and seas. The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is when the sun is at its strongest. Depictions of the sun and the dragon are often used together to represent male energy, whereas female energy is linked with the moon and the phoenix.

There are many legends about the origins of the festival, but the most popular one tells that it was established to commemorate the death of the poet, Qu Yuan.

Source: Beijingkids

Dragon Boat Festival, also known Duanwu Jie, falls on the fifth day on fifth lunar month of every year and since 2008, has been considered a public holiday. Main activities during this time include eating zongzi, drinking xionghuang wine, and watching dragon boat races.

Zongzi are made of glutinous rice stuffed with fillings, then wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, and tied with colored thread. The fillings vary region by region. In the north, the fillings are usually sweet: red bean paste, tapioca, or taro. In the south, they tend to be more savory. Fillings include duck egg, pork, chicken, or mushrooms.

Xionghuang jiu, also known as realgar wine, is a Chinese liquor seasoned with realgar. The tradition of drinking xionghuang wine is also related to the fact that Dragon Boat Festival marked the beginning of summer and the appearance of dangerous animals and evil spirits. Since xionghuang wine contains arsenic sulfide, drinking it was meant to protect people from these doers of harm.

The reason why dragon boats are dragon-shaped is that dragons in Chinese culture are considered rulers of rivers, lakes and seas. The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is when the sun is at its strongest. Depictions of the sun and the dragon are often used together to represent male energy, whereas female energy is linked with the moon and the phoenix.

There are many legends about the origins of the festival, but the most popular one tells that it was established to commemorate the death of the poet, Qu Yuan.

Source: Beijingkids