Zongzi: Rice dumpling with red bean filling

The Duanwu Festival is a Chinese traditional and statutory holiday. Zong, or zongzi is a traditional Chinese food, made of Glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in Bamboo China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National It is a public holiday in mainland China^[1][2] and in Taiwan, where it is known as the "Duanwu Festival". Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term synonymous with the area that is under the jurisdiction Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. It is also a public holiday in Hong Kong and Macau, where it is known as Tuen Ng Festival. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Macau topics. Its alternative name in English is "Dragon Boat Festival", after one of the traditional activities for the holiday. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States

The Duanwu Festival has also been celebrated in other East Asian nations. For their equivalent or related celebrations, see Dano (Korean festival), Tết Đoan Ngọ (Vietnam), and Kodomo no hi (Japan). Dano, also called Surit-nal, is a Korean holiday that falls on the 5th day of the fifth month of the lunar Korean calendar. - Tết Đoan Ngọ (literally Tết festival Đoan the start/straight/middle/righteousness/just Ngọ the seventh animal of the Chinese zodiac - the horse - Compare to Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Kodomo no Hi (こどもの日 meaning " Children's Day " is a Japanese national Holiday which takes place annually on May 5, the fifth For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.

The Duanwu Festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, giving rise to the alternative name of Double Fifth ^[3]. The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, incorporating elements of a Lunar calendar with those of a Solar calendar. In 2008, this falls on 8 June. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable The focus of the celebrations includes eating zongzi, which are large rice wraps, drinking realgar wine, and racing dragon boats. Zong, or zongzi is a traditional Chinese food, made of Glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in Bamboo Realgar, α -As4S4 is an Arsenic Sulfide mineral It is a soft sectile mineral occurring in Monoclinic crystals or in Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice A dragon boat or "dragonboat" is a very long and narrow human-powered Boat now used in the team Paddling sport of dragon boat

History

Origins

The Duanwu Festival originated in ancient China. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National There are a number of theories about its origins. Today, the most commonly accepted version relates to the death of poet Qu Yuan in 278 BC despite a number of competing theories. Biography Qu Yuan born in the Xiling Gorge area of what is today western Hubei province was a minister in the government of the state of Chu descended from nobility Events By place Seleucid Empire After their defeats in Greece, the Gauls move into Asia Minor.

Qu Yuan

The best-known traditional story holds that the festival commemorates the death of poet Qu Yuan (c. Biography Qu Yuan born in the Xiling Gorge area of what is today western Hubei province was a minister in the government of the state of Chu descended from nobility 340 BC - 278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu, in the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty. Chǔ ( 楚) was a kingdom in what is now central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period ( 722 - 481 BC) and The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the The Zhou Dynasty ( POJ: Chiu Tiau 1122 BC to 256 BC was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. ^[4] A descendant of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance. Qín or Ch'in ( Wade-Giles) (秦 ( 778 BC - 207 BC) was a State during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry, for which he is now remembered. Twenty-eight years later, Qin conquered the Chu capital. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month. Miluo River ( Pinyin:mìluó jiāng Chinese:汩罗江 is an important river in the Dongting Lake watershed. Qu Yuan was accused of treason. In Law, treason is the Crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or Nation. ^[4] Local people who admired him, threw food into the river to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body. ^[4]

Qu Yuan: alternate

Another version has it that in the Song Dynasty, a peasant said to the people that he dreamed that a dragon in the Miluo River had eaten up all the food which was prepared for Qu. The Song Dynasty ( Wade-Giles: Sung Ch'ao was a ruling dynasty in China between 960&ndash1279 CE it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms After that, people began to serve the food wrapped in leaves. This is said to be the origin of zongzi. Zong, or zongzi is a traditional Chinese food, made of Glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in Bamboo Also in honour of this event, people hold a festival competition with the special Dragon Boat. A dragon boat or "dragonboat" is a very long and narrow human-powered Boat now used in the team Paddling sport of dragon boat The local people were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve Qu's body; this is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing. A dragon boat or "dragonboat" is a very long and narrow human-powered Boat now used in the team Paddling sport of dragon boat

Wu Zixu

Despite the modern popularity of the Qu Yuan origin theory, in the former territory of the state of Wu the festival commemorated Wu Zixu (526 BC - 484 BC). Wu (吳 was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. Biography Wu was born the second son of Wu She (伍奢 who was the royal tutor in the state of Chu (楚 Like Qu Yuan, Wu Zixu was a loyal advisor whose advice was ignored by the king to the detriment of the kingdom. Wu Zixu was forced to commit suicide by the king Fuchai, with his body thrown into the river on the fifth day of the fifth month. King Fuchai of Wu (吳王夫差 (reigned 495 BC - 473 BC was the last king of Wu, a state in ancient China; he reigned towards the end of the Spring and Autumn After his death, Wu Zixu was revered as a river god. In places such as Suzhou, in Jiangsu province, Wu Zixu is remembered during the Duanwu Festival to this day. Suzhou ( ancient name 吳) is a City on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu ( Postal map spelling: Kiangsu) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country

Pre-existing holiday

Modern researchers have theorized that the commemoration of Qu Yuan or Wu Zixu were superimposed onto an existing holiday tradition, but has subsequently overtaken the original significance.

One theory points to the traditional rituals of the Duanwu Festival, which mostly relate to avoiding diseases. Thus, it is said, Duanwu Festival originates from rituals designed to avoid disease during the mid-summer months (corresponding to the fifth month of the Chinese calendar). The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, incorporating elements of a Lunar calendar with those of a Solar calendar.

Another theory, advocated by Wen Yiduo, is that the Duanwu Festival had its origins in dragon worship. Wen Yiduo ( 24 November 1899– 15 July 1946 born Wén Jiāhuá (聞家驊 Courtesy name Yǒusān (友三 was a Chinese The Chinese Dragon or Oriental dragon is a mythical creature in East Asian culture with a Chinese origin Support is drawn from two key traditions of the festival: the zongzi and dragon boat racing. Zong, or zongzi is a traditional Chinese food, made of Glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in Bamboo A dragon boat or "dragonboat" is a very long and narrow human-powered Boat now used in the team Paddling sport of dragon boat Throwing food (zongzi) into the river is said to represent offerings to the dragon king, while dragon boat racing comes from the worship of the dragon, combined with the tradition of visiting friends and family on canoes. For the Mortal Kombat character see Onaga. See also Dragon King (disambiguation The four Dragon Kings (龍王 A canoe is a small narrow Boat, typically human-powered though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors

One view is that the festival is a celebration that is characteristic of ancient Chinese agrarian society: the celebration of the harvest of winter wheat. Winter Wheat is a Cereal. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter wheats are planted in the autumn from September through December Offerings would be made to gods and spirits on this date: in the ancient Yue, dragon kings; in the ancient Chu, Qu Yuan; in the ancient Wu, Wu Zixu (as a river god); in ancient Korea, mountain gods (see Dano (Korean festival)). For the Mortal Kombat character see Onaga. See also Dragon King (disambiguation The four Dragon Kings (龍王 Chǔ ( 楚) was a kingdom in what is now central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period ( 722 - 481 BC) and Biography Qu Yuan born in the Xiling Gorge area of what is today western Hubei province was a minister in the government of the state of Chu descended from nobility Wu (吳 was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. Biography Wu was born the second son of Wu She (伍奢 who was the royal tutor in the state of Chu (楚 Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. Dano, also called Surit-nal, is a Korean holiday that falls on the 5th day of the fifth month of the lunar Korean calendar. As interactions between different regions increased, these similar festivals were eventually merged under the same name.

In the early years of the Republic of China, Duan Wu was also celebrated as "Poets' Day," due to Qu Yuan's status as China's first poet of personal renown. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES

People's Republic of China

In 2008 the holiday was celebrated in the People's Republic of China for the first time. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES ^[5] The Communist Party of China have attempted to revive the traditional holiday as early as 2005. The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the ^[6]

Activities

The three most widespread activities for the Duanwu Festival are eating (and preparing) zongzi, an angular rice ball wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves; drinking realgar wine, and racing dragon boats. Zong, or zongzi is a traditional Chinese food, made of Glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in Bamboo Realgar, α -As4S4 is an Arsenic Sulfide mineral It is a soft sectile mineral occurring in Monoclinic crystals or in Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice A dragon boat or "dragonboat" is a very long and narrow human-powered Boat now used in the team Paddling sport of dragon boat

Other common activities include hanging up icons of Zhong Kui (a mythic guardian figure), hanging up mugwort and calamus, taking long walks, and wearing perfumed medicine bags. Zhong Kui ( Japanese: Shōki is a figure of Chinese mythology. Artemisia vulgaris ( mugwort or common wormwood) is one of several species in the genus Artemisia with names containing mugwort Other traditional activities including a game of making an egg stand at noon, and writing spells. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and All of these activities, together with the drinking of realgar wine, are designed to ward off disease or evil.

References

External links

• See original pictures of Qu Yuan's hometown (now submerged by waters of three gorges dam project) and his country capital
• Dragon Boat Net, about the dragon boat sport and its tradition
• More pictures on Hong Kong official tourism website about Dragon Boat Festival
• More pictures of Dragon Boat Festival
• Dragon Boat World Int. - the worlds dragon boat magazine
• Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada's Dragon Boat Race - New Brunswicks Best Festival