Introduction to Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. Please download the PowerPoint in order to view the "fly in " photos.

1. Dragon Boat
Festival
端午节
Joanne Chen
2015
DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

2. Dragon Boat Festival
May 5 of Lunar Calendar
•端午节
•Duān wǔ jié
“端”字有“初始”的意思，因此“端五”就是“初五”。而按照历法，
五月正是“午”月，因此“端五”也就渐渐演变成了现在的“端午”
Duān
Beginning
noon
Wǔ Sounds same as 5
Festival

3. • Dragon Boat Festival is
celebrated on May 5 of
the lunar calendar.
(Georgian Calendar –
June)
• The Dragon Boat Festival
is also known as "Double
Fifth Day".
June 9, 2016
(Lunar calendar - May 5)

4. On this day, activities people often do
1. Eating (and preparing) zongzi, 吃粽子
2. Drinking realgar wine, and 雄黃酒
3. Racing dragon boats. 划龍舟

5. Story of Qu Yuan
• Commemorates the death of the poet
and minister Qu Yuan (340–278 BC) of the
ancient state of Chu, who committed
suicide by drowning himself in the MiLuo
River.
• The boat races were inspired by the
villager's valiant attempts to rescue Qu
Yuan from the Mi-luo river.
• The village people threw the rice ball into the
river to prevent the fishes eating Qu Yuan’s body.

6. Dragon Boat Race
赛龙舟
• Competing teams drive their colorful dragon boats
forward to the rhythm of beating drums.
• Races can have any number of boats competing, with the winner
being the first team to grab a flag at the end of the course

7. Boat Racing

8. Rice Dumpling - Zongzi
• Traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival
• Zongzi consists of rice dumplings filled with meat, peanut,
egg, beans, dates, sweet potatoes, walnuts, mushrooms, or
a combination of both.
• Steamed and wrapped in bamboo/corn leaves. 粽子

9. Variety of Zongzi

10. Making Zongzi

11. Breaking the evil spirits
• Hanging up icons of Zhong Kui (a mythic
guardian figure) 貼鍾馗像驅瘟疫、瘟神
• Hanging mugwort and calamus 懸香草（菖蒲
、艾草等）
• Tie colorful strings on the arms 纏五彩絲線
• Wearing perfumed medicine bags佩香囊

12. 12:00 PM
Standing Eggs
“If you can balance an egg on it’s end at exactly 12:00pm it is believed
that you will have good luck for the rest of the year.“

13. Discussion Time
Compare a festival in your culture to
the Dragon boat festival.
What is the history behind?
What are the activities people do?
What types of food are eaten?