Celebration of 2010 Chinese Dragon Boat Festival
Chinese people celebrate Dragon Boat Festival by Eating Zong zi and Paddling a Dragon Boat.
Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th month. But that’s not May 5th. This holiday is calculated according to the lunar calendar.
The next Dragon Boat Festival is June 16, 2010. You still have time to plan some fun activities for your children!
Along with the Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival is one of the biggest traditional holidays in China. The origin of this holiday is a bit troubling — a poet Qu Yuan 屈原 (about 300 BC) killed himself by jumping into the river on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. A very patriotic person, Qu Yuan attracted the wrath of the king by stating his concerns about the govenrment. Later when his country was overrun by enemy solidiers, the ever loyal poet killed himself out of grief for the pain his country was facing.
You may want to be selective about what you share with your children about this holiday, especially if they are sensitive. It’s not a very happy story.
The Chinese name of this holiday is Duan Wu Jie 端午节 or “Double Five Holiday.”
(Dragon Boat Festival 2010 is June 16, 2010)
