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The Dragon Festival 端午节 Duanwu Jie
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shunyadragon -

When the stories of Chinese holidays and festivals come to us in condensed versions we do not
always get the whole story. When I lived in China I made an effort research in more depth the
holidays and festivals of China. What is called the Dragon Boat Festival is somewhhat misleading
as to the true nature and origins of the festival. It is indeed the Dragon Festival, and there is
much more to the story than most Chinese and foreigners realize.

Dragon Festival

The Dragon Festival, 端午节 Duanwu Jie or 端阳节 Duanyang Jie, sometimes called the Dragon
Boat Festival, is celebrated some time in June on fifth day of the fifth lunar month. The origins
of the festival are likely very ancient. According to Wen Yiduo 闻一多(1898-1946), a modern
poet and scholar this festival had its beginnings over 5,000 years ago in the ancient kingdoms of
Wu and Yue located in present day Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces. The celebration of this festival
was likely inspired as ceremonies, sacrifices and offerings to the Dragon of the Eastern Sea to
prevent the floods, drought, and plagues of insects and disease that often occurred around this
time of year.

This day was considered to be the beginning of an important period in the change of seasons that
could make it a bountiful year or a very bad year. It was considered a day that could possibly
bring bad fortunes, because of the potential for spring and summer disasters. The purpose of most
of these ceremonies was to appease the great Father Dragon of the Eastern Sea and other gods to
prevent drought, floods, plague, insect swarms like grasshoppers, and diseases. The throwing of
zongzi in the river was originally part of this ceremony. Many of the ancient ceremonies and
traditions are still commonly practiced on China, though they mostly do not have the same meaning
today. The overwhelming threat of floods, drought, plagues and disease is not as great today.
Modern science and technology has replaced these beliefs with alternative solutions to these
problems.

Traditionally in ancient times offerings, like 粽子zongzi first described as rice or millet
filled bamboo tubes were thrown into the river or sea to appease the dragon. Zongzi is a popular
traditional dish eaten all year in South China, and it became the central food representing the
tradition of Dragon Festival all over China. It takes many forms and uses different fillings
around China, but the most common form is a triangular four point wrapping made of a wide bamboo
or reed leaf common in China. The practice of wrapping the zongzi in leaves is said to begin
during the reign of Emperor Guangwu (25-26 AD) of the Han Dynasty when Qu Hui saw a man near the
traditional site where 屈原Qu Yuan committed suicide on the Miluo River. The man told Qu Hui he
was the Minister in charge of three aristocratic families of the Chu Kingdom. He also told him,
“It is okay to make offerings in memory of me by throwing packaged rice into the river. In the
past the fish ate all the rice in the bamboo tubes, therefore in the future please wrap them in
Chinaberry leaves and tie them with colored thread. The fish will be afraid of these two things
and will not eat your offerings.”

Today zongzi filling varies, but the main filling consists of white millet called glutinous rice
and possibly yellow millet, or a mix of the two. In the south the zongzi are usually larger and
contains salty dried pork, beef or chicken, or a salty egg yolk. In the north they are smaller and
may contain Chinese dates, peanuts, walnuts, or other stuff, and they are often eaten with sugar.
Some eat their eggs before sunrise, and some dye the eggs red.

"Fetching noon water" was the traditional practice of getting water from a well at noon, believing
it had special medicinal properties to cure illness, and an egg that is stood on its end at twelve
o'clock means a whole year of good luck. Some. Especially childern knock two eggs together and
which ever one does not break promises the winner good luck, health and fortune.

Rainbow colored decorations and adornments are common today as a part of the festival. The
decorations range from simple forms of folded paper to elaborate colorful folk crafts. Many people
wear bracelets made of five colors of thread or string on their wrists or ankles. The colors vary
but seem to always include red, yellow and blue. Other colors used are white, pink, black and
green. In some places the traditional colors chosen are the same as those that are use to paint
the dragon boats in the race. These ornaments were believed to offer protection against disease
and misfortune. They put these on sometime between the first day of the fifth lunar month, Dragon
Festival Day and take them off and throw them into a running stream during the first heavy rain
after that day. One story I was told is that the five color thread turns into a baby dragon as it
journey’s to the sea. Other colorful items include red or rainbow colored paper gourds, and
mythical figures.

Mythical persons also play a role in the festival. Placing a picture of 钟馗Zhongkui, the
legendary ghost catcher, on the front door to guard the house is still commonly done today. Small
stuffed colorful human figures, and the animals of the Chinese astrology are hung around the
house. Monkeys with a club in their hand are especially popular in some areas.

Dragon boat racing is an important part of the festivities, particularly in the soth along the
larger rivers and in is reality older than the death of 屈原Qu Yuan, whom some believe the race
commemorates the search for him after he jumped into the river. It began in the south along the
Chang Jiang River and its tributaries, but they are now performed elsewhere in China today where
there is a large river. Dragon boats are about 20 to 40 meters long, made to look like a dragon,
and painted red, white, yellow, green and black. The races begin with a ceremony honoring the
Dragon King.

Other traditions focused on traditional medicines and practices that were intended to prevent or
cure illnesses that were common in the summer. The herbs used in this period included wormwood,
mugwort, elsholtzia (Aromatic Madder) and cattail. These leaves are placed around the house
usually above doors and windows. Baths, salves and balms using herbal medicines are widely used.
Children wear necklaces with bags of herbs. Some use a branch from the peach tree with immature
peaches, and sometimes wrap it with the herbs. Other traditions include placing wormwood or
mugwort leaves behind the ear before sunrise on Dragon Festival.

Realgar was believed to be an antidote for poisons, cure for disease, and effective in driving
away evil spirits and insects. Traditionally many men drank ‘Spring red liquor’, which was
white liquor colored with realgar, and it was used to write wang, the character for king on the
forehead of male children. Some still drink this or some variation of traditional white liquor
with their zongzi. Unfortunately Realgar is Arsenic sulfide and potentially very poisonous.

Later the people of the Chu Kingdom began to commemorate the death of 屈原Qu Yuan (~340-278 BC),
the famous poet and advisor to the king during the last years of the Chu Kingdom during the
Warring States Period (475-221 BC). At about the young age of 36 Qu Yuan became an important
advisor in the royal court of the three aristocratic families of the Chu Kingdom. Qu Yuan proposed
the development of peaceful relations and alliances with other states in this turbulent period,
because the Chu Kingdom was relatively weak. He was opposed by the more ambitious and corrupt Jin
Shang, the king’s aide, and Zhenxiu, the Queen’s consort. The honorable devoted Qu Yuan lost
favor in the court and he was banished by the king.

Living in exile Qu Yuan wrote many poems expressing his sorrow and distress for declining corrupt
state of affairs of the Chu Kingdom. At about 278 BC the Qin Kingdom defeated the Chu and captured
the capital.Qu Yuan was heart broken, because his beloved Chu Kingdom lay in ruins, disgraced and
betrayed by the corrupt royal families. In despair Qu Yuan committed suicide by holding a stone in
his arms and jumped into the Miluo River near present day Changsha in Henan Province. The
traditional belief among the Chu people is that Qu Yuan committed suicide on the fifth day of the
fifth lunar month. This symbolic self-sacrifice by Chu Yuan may have be made at this time in the
tradition of Chinese custom to make sacrifices at this time to prevent disasters from befalling
the people of the Kingdom. In commemoration of Chu Yuan’s passing the people of Chu continued
the tradition of throwing bamboo tubes filled with rice into the Miluo River on Dragon boat
Festival Day in memory of him as people all over China continue to do today. Chinese chose this
day as a memorial to patriots, because of Chu Yuan’s sacrafice to his country. Today, throwing
zongzi in the river is said to feed the fish and/or the dragon to prevent them from eating Chu
Yuan.

Many of China’s traditions, festivals, cultural characteristics, early technological
achievements can be traced to the region of Zhijiang and Jiangzu Provinces indicating that it is
the likely primary region of origin of Chinese culture and civilization.


Frank

Go with the flow the river knows

Turn weapons into peace and friendship with gifts of jade-silk.
化干戈为玉帛



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