\n
\tDragon Boat Festival — Du\u0101nw\u01d4 Jié<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \tDragon Boat Festival (Chinese: \u7aef\u5348\u8282, Pinyin: Du\u0101nw\u01d4 Jié), also known as Duanwu festival, is a traditional and statutory holiday originating in China and associated with a number of East Asian and Southeast Asian societies. The festival occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar on which the Chinese calendar is based(approximately late-May to mid-June)<\/span>. In 2012, this fell on June 23. <\/p>\n \t<\/strong><\/p>\n \t \tThe Duanwu Festival is believed to have originated in ancient China. A number of theories exist about its origins as a number of folk traditions and explanatory myths are connected to its observance. Today the best known of these relates to the suicide in 278 BCE of Qu Yuan<\/em>, poet and statesman of the Chu<\/em> kingdom during the Warring States period.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t Qu Yuan<\/em>— a very famous poet<\/p>\n \tA descendant of the Chu<\/em> royal house, Qu<\/em> served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin<\/em>, Qu<\/em> was banished for opposing the alliance; he was accused of treason. During his exile, Qu Yuan<\/em> wrote a great deal of poetry, for which he is now remembered. Twenty-eight years later, Qin<\/em> conquered the capital of Chu<\/em>. In despair, Qu Yuan<\/em> committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \tMiluo River — Mìluó Ji\u0101n\u0261<\/p>\n \tIt is said that the local people, who admired him, dropped sticky rice triangles wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river to feed Qu Yuan<\/em> in the afterlife. The rice was wrapped so that fish would not eat the rice meant to be eaten in Qu Yuan<\/em>'s afterlife. This is said to be the origin of zongzi. The local people were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing.<\/p>\n \tActivities<\/strong><\/p>\n \tThe focus of the celebrations includes eating rice dumplings zongzi (Chinese: \u7cbd\u5b50; pinyin: zòngzi), drinking realgar wine (Chinese: \u96c4\u9ec3\u9152; pinyin: Xiónghuángji\u01d4), and racing dragon boats. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t Zongzi and realgar wine<\/p>\n \t <\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t Dragon boat racing<\/p>\n \t <\/p>\n \tPublic Holiday<\/strong><\/p>\n \tThe festival was long marked as a festival culturally in China. In 2005, the government began to plan for the re-recognition of three traditional holidays, including Duanwu Festival. Since 2008, Duanwu was celebrated as not only a festival but also a public holiday in the People's Republic of China.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t 3 day holiday in June, 2012<\/p>\n
\tOrigin<\/strong><\/p>\n