Dragon Boat Festival

Hello Tea Friends!

Mickey here!

The Dragon Boat Festival (端午节) is fast approaching. This year, it falls on May 31st! Where I’m from, boats are a big thing—so of course, I was eager to dig into this festival and see what it was all about. After learning about its origins, I was surprised by just how deep the lore really goes, and I couldn’t stop researching! Read on as I delve into the Dragon Boat Festival and its rich history.

Symbolic Timing

Let’s start with timing! This festival actually goes by many names—it’s also known as the Double Fifth Festival, the Dumpling Festival, or Duanwu Jie. The name "Double Fifth" comes from when the festival falls on the Chinese lunar calendar: it always takes place on the fifth day of the fifth month.

Why is the timing of this so important? In Chinese culture, odd numbers are considered yang, which is associated with things like heat and outward energy. Putting two yang numbers together—such as the fifth day of the fifth month—was believed to create an excess of yang, and in turn, invite bad luck.

Also, the fifth month on the lunar calendar is the start of spring! Things start to heat up, flowers bloom, and all the icky, scratchy bugs and critters come out of hiding. With food spoiling faster and venomous bugs making the rounds, folks were naturally a little wary of the fifth month. So, it wasn’t unusual to see people wearing protective charms, drinking medicinal wine, or hanging herbs to help keep themselves safe.

How The Festival Came To Be

Sometimes, I forget that a lot of celebrations have rather unpleasant backgrounds. This festival is certainly no exception! Despite the popular sporting events and foods that have come from it, all of its lore ties back to one thing: drowning.

(Qu Yuan depicted in the "Nine Songs" 14th Century, courtesy Wikipedia)

It seems like every version of this festival’s origin is really sad. In one tale, a poet named Qu Yuan wades into the river after his attempts to counsel his king are ignored. The people race out in boats, hoping to save him before it’s too late. Rice dumplings, called zongzi, are even tossed into the water in hopes that the fish will eat those instead of harming his body. Unfortunately, he does drown—so in many places, the festival honors his memory and sacrifice each year.

In another version, the Double Fifth Festival commemorates the politician Wu Zixu. He also meets a watery end, much like Qu Yuan, and is found in a river after a mysterious murder. Then there’s the story of Cao E, a young girl who spent days searching the river for her father’s body, only to end up succumbing to the waters herself.

Of course, these legends are much more detailed and compelling than my little summaries, so I highly recommend giving them a proper read when you have the time.

Traditions and Customs

Dragon Boats – This tradition stems from commemorating the sacrifice Qu Yuan made, and the boats that were raced out to try and save him. Long boats are adorned with scales, a head, and a tail—dressing them up as fearsome dragons! During the races, a drum is beaten steadily to help keep the paddlers in rhythm. This is very important, because some boats can have anywhere from 10-20 people on them, maybe even more! I can barely keep rhythm with my own two feet. Maybe I need someone to follow me with a drum?

(The Huang Hotin Dragonboat racing in 1940s Chongqing)

Zongzi – I got so obsessed with these that I started digging through recipes on how to make them! Every time I see a picture of one after it’s been cooked and unwrapped, my mouth starts to water. Zongzi are traditional glutinous rice dumplings, often stuffed with savory or sweet fillings. Then they’re wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed to sweet, sticky perfection. You're telling me people have just been throwing these in the water?

Mugwort and calamus – These plants are viewed as auspicious and are often hung on doors during the festival to help ward off evil spirits.

Five-colored thread and sachets – During the festival, these woven threads are often worn around a child’s ankle or wrist to help ward off evil, disease, and bad luck. The colors—black, white, red, yellow, and green—are believed to have healing properties. There are also scented sachets tied with the same thread that children wear, usually for the same protective purpose.

(Sachets in Beijing by Tuchong)

Lots of Variety!

Of course, with any festival, there come lots of variations. I don’t have enough space to list them all here, so I’ll share just a few notable ones.

Zongzi, again! — There are so many styles of these dumplings to explore! Each region has its own variations, and honestly, I want to eat all of them. In northern China, you might find that the fillings lean more toward sweet. Meanwhile, in southern China, they tend to be more savory. Of course, everything varies according to local tastes and available ingredients, so there is quite a selection of flavors to try!

Honoring the past — As I mentioned before, there are different versions of who inspired this festival. Each region puts its own spin on it: some honor Qu Yuan, others Wu Zixu... and there’s even a temple dedicated to Cao E in Shaoxing, China. Each local legend shapes how the festival is celebrated and understood—whether it’s about filial piety, loyalty, or political sacrifice.

Tradition and superstition — Like most holidays and celebrations, every place has its own unique ways of marking the occasion. Some have specialty brews that only get made for the festival, others have fun, unique games that everyone can enjoy. I can't say I'd be very good at egg balancing, but that's one event that's popular in Taiwan!

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed learning about this celebration as much as I did. Think I could score some free zongzi if I pretend to be a fish in the local pond? Looks like my schedule just got pretty interesting! 

See you next time. Happy steeping!

-Mickey