Dragon Boat Festival:More Than Just a Boat Race

AMONG Chinas many traditional fêtes and holidays， the Dragon Boat Festival， or Duanwu Festival in Chinese， carries particular significance. Held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month， it has been celebrated for more than 2，000 years.

There are various theories as to its origins. The one most widely accepted is that it commemorates the death of the great patriot and poet Qu Yuan（340-278 BC）. Born to an aristocratic family in the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period （770-476 BC） Qu is one of the earliest known poets in Chinese history， and regarded as founder of Chinese romantic literature.

A senior Chu court official， Qu advocated appointments according to ability， rather than con-nections， and governance according to laws. He also urged armed resistance， in alliance with other small states， against the aggressive State of Qin. Jealous machinations by other officials， however， resulted in Qu being banished from the royal court. As he feared， in the year 278 BC， Qin armies overtook the State of Chu. Devastated and grief stricken upon hearing this news， Qu embraced a rock and drowned himself in the Miluo River. His death occurred on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

Legend has it that， upon hearing of Qus passing， local Chu villagers congregated at the riverside to hold a memorial and pay their respects. After rowing back and forth in vain attempts to salvage the poets body， one boatman threw rice balls and eggs into the river to distract hungry fish and shrimps away from it. A senior physician also poured a jar of realgar wine in the water to drive away dragons and water beasts. Over the centuries that followed it hence became customary on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month， which usually falls in early June， to hold boat races， eat zongzi （pyramid-shaped rice balls wrapped in reed leaves）， and enjoy realgar wine throughout the country.

The year 2006 saw inclusion of the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage. This item comprises four parts – the Duanwu customs of Qu Yuans hometown in Zigui County， Hubei Province； Xisai boat of gods parade in Huangshi City of Hubei Province； Duanwu customs along the Miluo River in Miluo City of Hunan Province； and Duanwu customs in Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province. In 2009， the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival was added to the UNESCO list of world intangible cultural heritage. It thus became the first of Chinese festivals to be included in the inventory.

Memorial Mores in Qus Hometown

Zigui， hometown of Qu Yuan， is where many popular Duanwu customs originated. It also preserves unique mores associated with the festival. Locals usually start preparations at the end of the fourth lunar month. During the fifth month， they hold three celebrations respectively on the fifth， the 15th， and the 25th days.

A local saying goes，“Duanwu is more important than Spring Festival， so wives should go back to their birth homes.” This relates to the legend of how， after Qu Yuans banishment， his sister also returned to their home town to comfort him. The name Zigui literally means the sister returns. The custom of married women journeying to their parents home for the festival with their husbands and children is still observed today.

Lepingli， birthplace of Qu， is the locale of a club of farmer poets， the largest of its kind in China. Each Dragon Boat Festival its members take part in a contest that entails writing poems in the lisao （lament） style that Qu Yuan created. They recite their works in the local dialect and also sing them to local airs in homage to the great poet.

Dragon boat races are synonymous with the festival throughout the world. In Zigui， a unique calling rite is held ahead of the race. It relates to the tale of Qus sister who， upon hearing the grave news， set off in a boat along the river， wailing and calling her brothers name over and over in efforts to recall his spirit. This calling home of the soul thus became a feature of the festival.

Residents of Zigui still throw zongzi into the river on Duanwu， in honor of the festivals origins.

The celebration culminates in the evening of the 25th day， when villagers gather in the open country to dance， sing and perform lion dances， as well as to row “land boats” – a model boat used as a stage prop， until daybreak.

Boat of Gods Parade in Xisai

Chinas longest Duanwu celebration is in Daoshifu， a village in the Xisaishan District of Huangshi City， Hubei Province. It lasts for 40 days， from the kicking off of boat building on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month through to the 18th day of the fifth month. The core purpose of its activities is to ward off evil and plagues and pray for peace and health.

The boat of gods is the most eyecatching spectacle of the entire proceedings. The boat in question carries the likenesses of as many as 108 gods， so expressing local residents pantheistic belief and sincere devotions. They include gods that command life and death， saints such as Qu Yuan， and local deities such as the god of land， the god of water， the god of the 12 flowers， and the four gods of plagues. Locals begin fashioning paper likenesses of these celestials on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month.

Most important of the 108 gods is the Black Lord， whom locals regard as their patron saint. Sacrifices are made to him daily from the start of preparations， in expectations that he will collect all plagues and poisons in his waist pouch. The Black Lord and the other 107 gods are placed in the boat on the 15th day of the fifth lunar month.

At 8 am on the 16th day， locals carry the boat of gods past every dwelling in the village. Residents hang cattail and mugwort leaves on their gates， and place tables in front of their houses on which to burn incense and make offerings of wine， tea， rice， and fruit. As the boat approaches they set off firecrackers and pour tea and rice on the ground to express reverence.

On the evening of the 17th day， 48 lamps are lit for an all-night vigil. The next morning， 16 young adult males carry the boat to the river and let it drift east with the current， in hopes that all plagues， poisons， and bad elements will leave the village.

The boat of gods is highly reputed for its artistic content， manifest in the intricate bamboo weaving and painting skills prevalent in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

Dragon Boat Races in Miluo

Miluo City in Hunan Province observes customs that are distinct， mysterious， and rich in content. Participants in the festival， celebrated from the first to 15th day of the fifth lunar month， are denizens of the middle and lower reaches of the Miluo River. In addition to eating zongzi， hanging cattail and mugwort leaves on their doors， drinking realgar wine， and dragon boat racing， people here also observe esoteric rites like stealing the sacred log， carving the dragon head， making devotions to the dragon， and worshipping Qu Yuan.

The most dramatic activity is stealing a trunk to fashion into the dragon-shaped boat keel. Four “thieves” set out after dark to the keeper of the logs house. Two hoist it on their shoulders， and the third ties a strip of red cloth around its middle. The fourth， hiding in front of the house， sets off fire crackers as his partners abscond. The owner， who actually feels happy and lucky， must then ostensibly give chase.

Carving the dragon head is also an arcane process. On the big day， the sculptor first bathes himself and burns incense before starting work on the carefully selected camphor wood. Others are strictly prohibited from the work area. After the dragon head is finished， it takes pride of place among other offerings and incense.

Making the dragon boat is less mystical， but its initiating rite， usually held at midnight， is restricted to carpenters and the main boatman. It can take a whole day， or no more than three days to complete the boat. The head carpenter receives a cash gift and a bucket of rice. Others work voluntarily， often providing their own tools and parts.

The boat is drawn to the river on the first day of the fifth lunar month. The day before， all barriers along the road are removed and people not involved in the ritual avoided. A young unmarried male carries the dragon head on his back， wades to the middle of the river and immerses the head in its water five times. He then swims back to the bank and installs the head on the boat. The scullers launch the boat on the river， jump in， and row to the temple dedicated to Qu Yuan， where they pay homage.

Exorcise Evil Spirits in Suzhou

Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province is located on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Duanwu customs are appropriate to local natural conditions and living habits， as well as economic and cultural characteristics.

The festival occurs right in the middle of a long rainy period. Plagues spread easily in this hot humid weather. To avoid pestilence and drive away poisonous insects， people hang cattail and mugwort leaves on their doors， burn incense sticks made of dried mugwort indoors， and spray lime water or realgar wine in corners and damp areas. Some parents smear realgar wine on their childrens foreheads and palms. Others wrap a piece of realgar in cotton or silk cloth and place it in their well to cleanse the water.

Realgar is a mineral substance that contains arsenic sulfide. According to traditional Chinese medicine， it heals scabs， sores， and snake and insect bites， so is widely used throughout the country.

In ancient times， people would place realgar in a small sachet to carry in summer as an amulet. Making sachets hence became an indispensable skill for women. In Suzhou， famous for embroidery， local women created various shapes of sachets and embroidery patterns， so making them an adornment. Children still often wear such sachets stuffed with herbal medicines to ward off diseases.

The sybaritic Suzhou cuisine renders festive foods even more toothsome. The most popular snack， zongzi， comes in various flavors according to the morsels added to their rice fillings. They include salty meat or ham， which makes them distinct from the less exotic zongzi of North China.

People in Suzhou generally dine in their own time. The Dragon Boat Festival is the time to enjoy the “five yellows” –five food ingredients that take the prefix “yellow” in Chinese. They are： yellow croaker， cucumber （yellow melon）， rice field eel （yellow eel）， realgar wine （yellow wine）， and salted duck egg yolk （yellow yolk）. Dining mores are the best example of the time-honored concept of life in China – human beings should adapt to and integrate with nature.