Do you know any traditional festivals in China? Maybe you'll say the Spring Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival and so on. But have you heard of the Dragon Boat Festival?
In China, there is an interesting festival in the year of dragon. It is said that the Dragon King, the God of Rain, makes fine weather to help the farmers' crops grow well and everything go on smoothly too. Of course, we hope it is a lucky year for all the people.
To remember a great poet in ancient China, Qu Yuan, forever, we have the Dragon Boat Festival. Over 2,200 years ago, Qu Yuan was born in Zigui of Hubei, during the Warring States Period (战国时代). He was wise and he wrote many excellent poems. Among them, the most famous one is Li Sao. It was about the life of his own and full of his deep love for his motherland like other poems.
The Dragon Boat Festival is on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar (阴历). The most important thing during the festival is the dragon-boat race. When the race begins, the players are boating hard in the river, and other people are cheering for them. People also eat zong zi made of glutinous rice (糯米) to remember Qu Yuan.
