CDBF_Brochure A4_Digital

CELEBRATING DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL IN CHINA

What do people do?

/ i Ài> ˆ} ˆ} Ì œv Ì i viÃ̈Û> ˆÃ Ì i wiÀVi‡œœŽˆ˜} `À>}œ˜ Lœ>Ì À>Vˆ˜} ˆ˜ > ˆÛiÞ] ۈLÀ>˜Ì spectacle. Participants train in earnest for the competition. Sitting two abreast, with a steersman at the back and a drummer at the front, the paddlers race the elaborately decorated dragon boats to the beat of the heavy drums. The dragon boats are traditionally made of teak wood to various designs and sizes, which usually have brightly decorated designs with the front end shaped like open mouthed dragons, and the back end with a scaly tail. A sacred ceremony is performed before any competition in order to ‘bring the boat to life’ by painting the eyes.

Drinking realgar wine

People drink realgar wine which is considered effective in preventing disease and promoting health.

Hanging calamus and Wormwood

People hang calamus and wormwood on the front door and windows, because they are in the shape of a sword and considered symbols of victory over illness and poison, people believe they possess qualities for protecting the house from the evil and bringing peace.

Wearing fragrant sachets

Why do people do this?

Chinese people, especially children, hang around their necks fragrant sachets, which are made from a variety of sewn bags and include the powders of acorus, Artemisia, realgar and other fragrant items, to avoid catching contagious diseases and to keep evil spirits away. All of these activities were regarded by the ancients as an effective way of preventing disease and evil, while promoting good health and well-being.

The cool, humid rainy season before Duanwu clashes with the muggy heat of early summer after Duanwu, making it a time when people would easily contract a disease. Ancient people considered this susceptibility to disease as the effect of evil spirits, which coincided with their belief about bad/evil days. Duanwu thus became a day for collective customs to purge poison and expel plagues annually on the day of his death.