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Author: Daniel Li
Article:
Duanwu Festival, or Dragon Boat Festival
http://www.tour-beijing.com/travel_blog/ Today, June 08, 2008 is
Duanwu Festival, or popularly called Dragon Boat Festival.
Duanwu Festival falls on the fifth date of the fifth month of
Chinese lunar calendar. So each each year' Duanwu Festival has
its different date due to the dynamic beginning of the Chinese
lunar new year. This year's Duanwu Festival falls on June 08,
2008.
Our central government has designated Duanwu Festival as a
National Holiday starting from the year 2008 as a kind of active
measure to promote and protect the Chinese traditonal culture.
For the Dwuan Festival, people enjoy one day for holiday. For
this year's Dwuanwu Festival, people also have one-no-work-day
on June 09 since June 08 is Sunday. So people don't have to work
on June 09 ( Monday), 2008. It is really a good idea to set
Duanwu Festival as a legal national holiday to carry on our
Chinese traditional culture. This morning, I say hello to my Son
- Li Rui and asked him about some knowledge of the origin of
Dwuanwu Festival. His answer is quite disappointing and betrays
the need for the protecton of Chinese traditional holiday on a
national level.
The Duanwu Festival originated in ancient China with a history
over 2000 years. There are quite a few of theories relative its
origins. Today, the most commonly accepted story is linked to
the death of poet Qu Yuan in 278 BC. There are, however, more
competing theories. The great poet Qu Yuan (c. 340 BC - 278 BC)
lived in the ancient state of Chu, in the Warring States Period
of the Zhou Dynasty. A son of the Chu royal family, Qu served in
high position at royal office. However, when the king planned to
co-operate with the daily increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu
Yuan was driven away from his own state for being against the
alliance. In his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great number of poems,
which made he remembered by people generation after generation.
Finally Qin conquered the Chu capital 28 years later. Wrapped in
despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the
Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month of Chinese lunar
year. It is said that the local people, with great love for him,
threw food into the river to feed the fish keeping Qu Yuan from
being eatenby the fish. Later every, people began to serve fish
with dumpling wrapped in leaves. This is also said to be the
origin of zongzi - the rice dumpling with fillings wrapped in
bamboo leaves. Later to either to scare the fish away or to
retrieve Qu's body, people hold a festival competition with the
special Dragon Boat. This is also said to be the origin of
dragon boat racing. So during Duanwu Festival, people usually do
two things - Eating Zongzi and having dragon boat racing to
commemorate Qu Yuan.
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