Duan Wu Jie (端午节)

Dragon Boat Festival is called Duan Wu Jie (端午节) in Chinese. Jie （节） means festival. The festival is celebrated on the 5th of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar （12 June 2013）.

Background

Many People believe that Duan Wu Jie originated in ancient China based on the suicide of the poet and statesman of the Chu kingdom, Qu Yuan in 278 BCE.

 Qu Yuan

Qu Yuan was minister of the State of Chu. His wisdom and intellectual ways antagonized other court officials, thus they accused him of false charges of conspiracy and was exiled by the king. During his exile, Qu Yuan composed many poems to show his love and passion for his country， until he heard that the Chu State was defeated by the strong Qin State. He was so despaired that he ended his life by flinging himself into the Miluo River.

On hearing of Qu Yuan's death, all the local people nearby were in great distress. Fishermen searched for his body by sailing their boats down the river and other people threw food such as eggs and food like zongzi (粽子) into the river to attract fish and other animals from destroying Qu Yuan's body. Later, many people imitated these acts to show their respect for this great patriotic poet and this practice continues today.

Customs

Dragon Boat Racing 

Eating Zongzi (pyramid-shaped glutinous rice wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves)

Hanging Mugwort Leaves