The Dragon Boast Festival

Boat Racing

The Dragon Boast Festival, or the Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, This festival is widely accepted as a day to commemorate Qu Yuan, China's greatest poet of the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C).People respected Qu Yuan for his efforts to make China strong and prosperous and for his dedication to such ideals. However, he became frustrated Qu Yuan for his efforts to make China strong and prosperous and for his dedication to such ideals. However, he became frustrated with the status quo and ultimately committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo river. On the day of Duanwu, the day of Qu Yuan's death,

Boat Racing 02

people rushed from all over, rowing dragon boats on the river in an attempt to find his remains, which were thought to have drifted downstream never to be recovered. As part of the festival, people throw rice-filled bamboo tubes into the river as an offering .During the Duanwu Festival, it is also a common practice to eat zongzi, which is a rice pudding wrapped up with weed leaves. The weed leaves give a special flavor to the food.

Qu Yuan

Commemoration of Qu Yuan during the Duanwu Festival shows his popularity as a poet and man who made great contributions to China. In 1957.Qu Yuan was selected by the World Peace Council as one of the four cultural figures to be memorized by the world.

Mid-Autumn Festival

Moon Cookie

Chinese ancestors believed that the seventh, eighth, and ninth lunar months belong to autumn. So the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.

Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations date back more than 2,000 years. in feudal times, Chinese emperors prayed to Heaven for a prosperous year.

Lanten

There is a beautiful legend about the moon. A long time ago, a terrible drought plagued the earth. Ten suns burned fiercely in the sky like smoldering volcanoes. The king of Heaven sent Hou Yi down to the earth to shoot down nine suns. A beautiful girl named Chang'e fell in love with him. The two soon married. The Goddess rewards Hou Yi with an elixir. Unfortunately an evil man murdered Hou Yi. Chang'e had to eat the elixir herself and decided to choose living on the moon.

Because the full moon is round and symbolizes reunion, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the festival of reunion. People will eat moon-cakes at this festival for cakes shaped like the moon. So don't forget to taste all the delicious moon-cakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Hou yi

Chang er