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The Dragon Boat Festival

What to Expect During The Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival is a three-day holiday in China that fell on our time being there. Everyone from all over the country takes off from school/work to celebrate. The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional holiday originating in China, occurring near the summer solstice. The festival now occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional Chinese calendar, which is the source of the festival’s alternative name, the Double Fifth Festival.

The origins of this day surround that of a minister in the State of Chu – one of the seven Warring States, Qu Yuan was a patriotic poet who wrote a lot of works to show his care and devotion to his country. Composing masterpieces like Li Sao (The Lament), he was regarded as one of the greatest poets in Chinese history. After he was exiled by the king, he chose to drown himself in the river rather than seeing his country invaded and conquered by the State of Qin. He died on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, thus people decided to commemorate him on that day every year.

Some traditions which surround the day would be eating Zongzi ( a pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in reed leaves), people tend to throw these snacks into the rivers all over China for the fish to eat, because they believe it will feed the poet who drowned.There is also dragon boat racing, Legend holds that the race originates from the idea of the people who rowed their boats to save Qu Yuan after he drowned himself.

During our time in China when this traditional holiday started we learned that karaoke was banned, the government made sure to do so for the precaution that nobody would sing a song which could influence an uprising possibly leading to a revolution.

The streets became fuller and our tour guides let us know that many places would be packed since everyone was off from all over, so to choose our destination we would have to choose wisely. On the second day of the festival we all decided to go to The Summer Palace, it took an hour by metro to arrive, but we were able to get there safely. As mandatory a Běijīng sight as the Great Wall or the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace was the playground for emperors fleeing the suffocating summer torpor of the old imperial city. A marvel of design, the palace – with its huge lake and hilltop views – offers a pastoral escape into the landscapes of traditional Chinese painting. It merits an entire day’s exploration, although a (high-paced) morning or afternoon exploring the temples, gardens, pavilions, bridges and corridors may suffice.

The crowds were big, and although we didn’t witness any boat racing, the river at the palace was filled with boats, and you could see people feeding the fish some of the zongzi. Maneuvering through everyone was a bit of a challenge, so make sure if your Summer Seminar lands on this holiday that you all stick closely together, hold your items close to your body, and stay hydrated. I must have carried about four water bottles in my backpack for the entire day, as I had my own and extra for my peers. The days are hot during summer, and the crowds of people don’t help. If you are to even accidentally brush up against someone else, which is bound to happen since in China many people will bump into you and not apologize since it is not thought of to be rude, you are sure to come in contact with sweat.

The time spent during The Dragon Boat Festival was definitely an experience that cannot be forgotten, as this event really allowed us to relish in the culture as we were now a part of their traditional holiday which is over 2,000 years old. Families come together during this time and remember the past with genuine love and care, for a poet which once moved the hearts of their great ancestors.

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